When it comes to the US Supreme Court, who’s really ‘the best person for the job’?

Discussions surrounding Biden’s decision to appoint a Black woman to the highest court in the land have become heated, writes Phil Thomas

Justice Stephen Breyer was a member of the US Supreme Court Ivy Club (AP)

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden pledged to put a Black woman on the US Supreme Court if the opportunity arose. Now, with Justice Stephen Breyer announcing his retirement from the highest court in the land, Biden has confirmed he intends to do exactly that. The howls of outrage from the right are perhaps not surprising in this deeply partisan age.

As The Independent reported this week, Texas senator Ted Cruz went so far as to suggest that putting a Black woman on the Supreme Court was in itself an insult to Black women. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said Biden’s nominee would be the beneficiary of “affirmative action”, a policy the Supreme Court is itself considering.

The gist of most of the arguments is that Justice Breyer’s successor should be “the best person for the job”, irrespective of race or sex. To many, this sounds like code for... another white man, please.