Voters Support Biden’s Pledge to Nominate a Black Woman for the Supreme Court
By Devi Ruia
At the end of January, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced he was retiring. Since then, focus has been on whom President Biden would nominate to fill this vacancy, and Biden has confirmed he will honor his campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
New polling from Data for Progress finds that voters strongly support President Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman for the Supreme Court seat that will be vacated by Breyer. Voters support Biden’s decision by a +38-point margin. This includes Democrats by an +88-point margin, Independents by a +33-point margin, and more than a third of Republicans.
A majority of voters also believe that the Senate should hold hearings and call a vote on Biden’s nominee as soon as possible, by an +11-point margin. This includes Democrats by a +52-point margin, Independents by a +6-point margin, and nearly a third of Republicans.
Voters are also concerned about decisions related to upcoming Supreme Court cases: 79 percent of likely voters are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about SCOTUS denying health insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions, while 63 percent are concerned about reversing Roe v. Wade. A majority of voters are also concerned about the Supreme Court reversing Medicaid expansion, striking down state background check laws for guns, removing environmental protections from the Clean Air Act, and repealing the Affordable Care Act.
It is clear that voters are concerned about the conservative majority on the Supreme Court and how it may act on certain issues, particularly health insurance and reproductive rights. Despite Republican attacks, voters strongly support Biden’s decision to nominate a Black woman for the Supreme Court and want the Senate to vote on his nominee as soon as possible.
Devi Ruia (@DeviRuia) is a press assistant at Data for Progress.