Sen. Lisa Murkowski urged President Joe Biden to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who could gain “some level of bipartisan support” instead of “the one that would be to the furthest left.”
“That sends a signal to the public that maybe, maybe the courts are not as political as the legislative and the executive branch,” the Alaska Republican told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
With Justice Stephen Breyer set to retire, Biden has said he would name his pick by the end of February.
He promised to live up to a campaign promise of nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court if the opportunity arose.
“There are many, many exceptionally well-qualified African American women who could move forward in this position,” Murkowski said.
She also lamented the perception that the courts are no longer above politics.
Americans are “losing faith in their courts. They’re looking at them as nothing more than an adjunct of elected bodies,” the senator said.
“Demonstrate some bipartisan support,” she urged Biden.
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