Journalist Jonathan Allen on this podcast last March described the fateful moment when Joe Biden, with his campaign on the ropes during the South Carolina primary in 2020, agreed to name an African-American woman to the Supreme Court. It was a commitment made under intense political pressure by house majority WHIP James Clyburn. The most powerful black politician in the state. But it paid off big time. Biden made his pledge, Clyburn endorsed the next morning, and the former Vice-President won a resounding victory in South Carolina putting his campaign on a gliding path to the nomination. And now, Biden's nearly two year old campaign pledge has become newly relevant as Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will be stepping down. Who will Biden actually pick to replace him? And how much difference will it make? Two veteran Supreme Court watches, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate and Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal, join to discuss.

GUESTS:

• Dahlia Lithwick (@Dahlialithwick), covers the court and law from Slate
• Jess Bravin (@JessBravin), Supreme Court correspondent for The Wall Street Journal

HOSTS:

• Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
• Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
• Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)

 

RESOURCES:

• Isikoff's piece on Biden's promise to select an African-American to Supreme Court - inside-story-of-how-biden-promised-to-appoint-a-black-woman-to-the-supreme-court-192146779.html">Here.
• Jonathan Allen's appearance on Skullduggery - Here.

 

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