Could Biden’s SCOTUS pick be Vice President Kamala Harris?

On January 26, 2022, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. Breyer’s retirement allows President Joe Biden to replace him with a liberal justice. SCOTUS currently has a 6-3 conservative majority. President Biden has promised to replace Breyer with a black woman.

Biden’s choice will be the first woman of color Supreme Court Justice, but could that woman be his Vice President, Kamala Harris? Harris made history as the first woman Vice President and the first woman Vice President of color in the United States. Harris’ disastrous start as Biden’s second in command is sparking rumors of her moving on.

Low Approval Ratings and Criticism

Since Biden and Harris took over the White House in January 2021, approval ratings have been low. Harris received some of the lowest approval ratings in history, one being at 28% last November. Harris was unpopular during the presidential primaries, barely polling over three percent before dropping out in 2019.

Criticism for Harris stems from reluctance to solve the Southern Border crisis.  President Biden tasked Harris with the border crisis but Harris has not been to the border. Instead, Harris has traveled to Guatemala and Honduras to find the “root causes” of the issue. Biden and Harris have received criticism on their handling of the border situation. Border officials are dealing with massive trespassing and cartel smuggling entering through Texas and Arizona.

Harris Staff Resignations

Harris’ office is experiencing a “massive exodus”. Multiple staffers close to the Vice President have resigned during the past 13 months; many leaving before the one year mark. Harris’ chief speech writer, Kate Childs Graham is leaving the vice president’s office at the end of February. Harris’ communications director Ashley Etienne left last November to “pursue other opportunities.”

Symone Sanders, Harris’ former chief spokesperson, left before the new year and is now a commentator on MSNBC. Vincent Evans, the vice president’s deputy director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, left to become the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. Those who have resigned have claimed “exhaustion” and have feared being labeled a “Harris person.”

Democrats Also Considering the Idea

Fox News and Newsmax pundits are considering the idea of Harris going to the bench, but so are Democrat Party officials. William Owen, a member of the Democratic National Committee, texted party chair Jamie Harrison about the idea. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair, Jane Kleeb, described Harris’ vice presidency “like doomsday every day… Everything is bad — let’s throw everything at the wall to maybe get the base excited.”

Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist from California called it a “win-win” situation. Democratic strategists have also said the appointment would “solve a lot of problems” and “would guarantee that [she] never runs for president again.”

Harris Continues to Misstep

Since the start of 2022, Harris made questionable remarks and was pressed about a replacement for her spot on the 2024 ticket. On the anniversary of the January 6 riot, Harris compared the event to “Pearl Harbor and 9/11.” She also claimed that fixing the border crisis won’t happen “overnight.”

During an interview with NBC’s Craig Melvin, Harris was asked about being knocked off the 2024 ticket. She dismissed the question, stating: “[The White House is] focused on what we need to do now. I can really care less about the high-class gossip on these issues.”

President Biden is rumored to pick between Judges, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, J. Michelle Childs and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi. Kamala Harris was seen as Joe Biden’s successor, but now she could be headed to the nation’s highest court, as Democrats try to keep control going into the 2022 midterm elections.