Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised in February to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court and said in June that his team is compiling a list of qualified Black women for the job.
“We are putting together a list of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be on the court. I am not going to release that until we go further down the line in vetting them as well," Biden said at a press conference on June 30th.
Biden earlier framed his promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court as ensuring representation.
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG DEAT AT 87
“We talked about the Supreme Court — I’m looking forward to making sure there’s a Black woman on the Supreme Court to make sure we in fact get everyone represented," he said during a Democratic debate on Feb. 25th.
Pressure for Biden to release a list of names will grow following the death of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Friday.
President Trump has sought to make the Supreme Court a flashpoint on the campaign trail and has pushed Biden to release a list of potential nominees.
GINSBURG'S LAST WISH WAS TO 'NOT BE REPLACED UNTIL A NEW PRESIDENT IS INSTALLED': REPORT
"Joe Biden has refused to release his list, perhaps because he knows the names are so extremely far left that they could never withstand public scrutiny or receive acceptance," Trump said last week. "He must release a list of justices for people to properly make a decision as to how they will vote. It is very important that he do so."
Trump released a list of 20 new potential nominees to the Supreme Court last week, including a number of people who have worked for the Trump administration, as well as three Republicans Senators - Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton.
READ: SUPREME COURT'S STATEMENT ON RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S DEATH
Biden nominated Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to be his running mate last month, making her the first Black woman to ever be on a major party's presidential ticket.
"Black women have supported me my whole career," Biden told MSNBC in July. "I have been loyal, and they have been loyal to me — and so it's important that my administration, I promise you, will look like America."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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