Joe Biden Supreme Court: GOP Senator says SCOTUS pick must be someone who can get bipartisan support

US President Joe Biden is set to pick the next Supreme Court justice, who will succeed retiring justice Stephen Breyer this year. While Biden has yet to announce who he will nominate, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said that Biden should nominate someone who could get bipartisan support.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Murkowski weighed in on the Supreme Court nominee that Biden may pick. Murkowski urged Biden to choose someone who can at least get bipartisan support rather than someone who leans far left in ideology. Murkowski cited that nominating a woman who could receive a level of bipartisan support can send a message to the public that the Supreme Court is not as political compared to the executive and legislative branches of the government.

Biden has pledged to nominate who would become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, making good on a campaign promise. The US leader said he would announce his nominee by the end of February and has met with members of both political parties for advice on who to choose.

“There are many, many exceptionally well-qualified African-American women who could move forward in this position,” said Murkowski, who also noted that the public is losing faith in the courts, with the perception that the courts are “nothing more than an adjunct of elected bodies.”

With Biden set to nominate someone to replace Breyer on the Supreme Court bench, CNBC reports Democratic dark money groups are preparing to launch a multimillion-dollar campaign to shore up support for Biden’s potential nominee.

One such group is Demand Justice, a nonprofit led by Democratic strategists. The group said it is anticipating a possible clash in the Senate over Biden’s eventual Supreme Court pick. Breyer looks to retire when the term ends, provided that his replacement has already been chosen and confirmed. Demand Justice told CNBC that it is prepared to spend as much as possible to get Biden’s pick confirmed.

Another group, Building Back Together, run by Biden allies, has already signaled to donors and those close to the group that it is likely going to raise and spend up to $10 million in support of the nominee.