WASHINGTON – Americans are sharply divided on race over the importance of President Joe Biden’s promise to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court, with white Americans much less likely to be enthusiastic about the idea than black Americans – and especially black women.

This is according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC, which shows that 48% of Americans say it is not important for them personally to have a black woman become a Supreme Court judge. Another 23% say it is somewhat important, and 29% – very or extremely important. Only two black men served in the country’s highest court, and no black women were ever nominated.

The poll shows Biden’s promise echoes with black Americans, 63% of whom say it is very or extremely important for them personally to have a black woman perform on the court, compared to only 21% of white Americans and 33% of Hispanics. The conclusions come when Biden completes his choice of a place that frees Stephen Breyer, who announced retirement last month.

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“While I was studying the origins of the candidates and writing, I made no decisions except one: the man I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and honesty, and this man will be the first black woman. nominated to the United States Supreme Court, ”Biden said in a statement on Breyer’s upcoming pension. “In my opinion, it’s long overdue.”

Black women are particularly shocked by this idea: 70% attach great importance to nominations compared to 54% of black men.

Diana White, a 76-year-old Democrat from Hanley Hills, Missouri, said Biden would not choose anyone unless “she has the capacity, professionalism and knowledge to do the job.”

White, who is Black, said the nomination of the groundbreaking nomination could inspire young people.

“I think about what other people are looking forward to in later life,” she said.

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Any enthusiasm that could spark Biden’s nomination could benefit his party in this year’s by-elections if Democrats risk losing control of Congress. So far, Biden has struggled to achieve other goals for blacks, such as police reform legislation and the protection of suffrage.

About 91% of black voters supported Biden in the 2020 presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive poll.

But recent polls show Biden’s approval rating has dropped significantly among black Americans since the first half of 2021, when about 9 out of 10 approved of how he handles his job. A new poll shows that his approval among black Americans is 67%.

Jarvis Hood, a 35-year-old Democrat from Lagrange, Georgia, agreed that the black woman was “ripe” on the court.

Hood, who is Black, said he hoped the nomination would provide further evidence that “women can do the same as men.”

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For the first time, Biden promised to elect black women to the Supreme Court when he ran for president. According to a person familiar with the process, he interviewed at least three candidates to this position – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, J. Michelle Childs and Leandra Krueger – and he is expected to announce his decision next week.

The poll shows that most Democrats say the black woman on the court is at least important, but only half believe it is very important. Among Republicans, about 8 out of 10 say it doesn’t matter.

John Novak, a 52-year-old Republican from Hudson, Wisconsin, said he did not like Biden’s promise to choose a black woman, saying there was too much emphasis on “ticking” when it comes to nominating people.

“I had to say that we would choose the best candidate who would follow the Constitution,” said Novak, a white man. “And then add that we would like her to be a woman and a woman of color.”

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There was mixed reaction from Republican elected officials.

Senator Ted Cruz, Texas, described Biden’s promise as “offensive” because it sends a message to most Americans that “I don’t care about you, you have no right.”

However, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, Kyiv, said he was not worried, noting that President Donald Trump and President Ronald Reagan had promised to nominate women to the Supreme Court.

“I have heard several people say that they thought it inappropriate for the president to announce that he was going to sue an African-American woman. Honestly, I didn’t find it inappropriate, ”McConnell said during Tuesday’s event in his home state.

The poll found that Americans’ faith in the Supreme Court continues to wane. Only 21% said they trust the Supreme Court very much, and 24% said they almost do not trust it. The last figure rose slightly from 17% in September 2020, when the question was last asked.

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The AP-NORC survey, which involved 1,289 adults, was conducted Feb. 18-21 using a sample taken from the AmeriSpeak panel, based on the NORC probability, which is designed to represent the U.S. population. The tolerance of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

WASHINGTON – Americans are sharply divided on race over the importance of President Joe Biden’s promise to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court, with white Americans much less likely to be enthusiastic about the idea than black Americans – and especially black women.

This is according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC, which shows that 48% of Americans say it is not important for them personally to have a black woman become a Supreme Court judge. Another 23% say it is somewhat important, and 29% – very or extremely important. Only two black men served in the country’s highest court, and no black women were ever nominated.

The poll shows Biden’s promise echoes with black Americans, 63% of whom say it is very or extremely important for them personally to have a black woman perform on the court, compared to only 21% of white Americans and 33% of Hispanics. The conclusions come when Biden completes his choice of a place that frees Stephen Breyer, who announced retirement last month.

Advertising

“While I was studying the origins of the candidates and writing, I made no decisions except one: the man I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and honesty, and this man will be the first black woman. nominated to the United States Supreme Court, ”Biden said in a statement on Breyer’s upcoming pension. “In my opinion, it’s long overdue.”

Black women are particularly shocked by this idea: 70% attach great importance to nominations compared to 54% of black men.

Diana White, a 76-year-old Democrat from Hanley Hills, Missouri, said Biden would not choose anyone unless “she has the capacity, professionalism and knowledge to do the job.”

White, who is Black, said the nomination of the groundbreaking nomination could inspire young people.

“I think about what other people are looking forward to in later life,” she said.

Advertising

Any enthusiasm that could spark Biden’s nomination could benefit his party in this year’s by-elections if Democrats risk losing control of Congress. So far, Biden has struggled to achieve other goals for blacks, such as police reform legislation and the protection of suffrage.

About 91% of black voters supported Biden in the 2020 presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive poll.

But recent polls show Biden’s approval rating has dropped significantly among black Americans since the first half of 2021, when about 9 out of 10 approved of how he handles his job. A new poll shows that his approval among black Americans is 67%.

Jarvis Hood, a 35-year-old Democrat from Lagrange, Georgia, agreed that the black woman was “ripe” on the court.

Hood, who is Black, said he hoped the nomination would provide further evidence that “women can do the same as men.”

Advertising

For the first time, Biden promised to elect black women to the Supreme Court when he ran for president. According to a person familiar with the process, he interviewed at least three candidates to this position – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, J. Michelle Childs and Leandra Krueger – and he is expected to announce his decision next week.

The poll shows that most Democrats say the black woman on the court is at least important, but only half believe it is very important. Among Republicans, about 8 out of 10 say it doesn’t matter.

John Novak, a 52-year-old Republican from Hudson, Wisconsin, said he did not like Biden’s promise to choose a black woman, saying there was too much emphasis on “ticking” when it comes to nominating people.

“I had to say that we would choose the best candidate who would follow the Constitution,” said Novak, a white man. “And then add that we would like her to be a woman and a woman of color.”

Advertising

There was mixed reaction from Republican elected officials.

Senator Ted Cruz, Texas, described Biden’s promise as “offensive” because it sends a message to most Americans that “I don’t care about you, you have no right.”

However, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, Kyiv, said he was not worried, noting that President Donald Trump and President Ronald Reagan had promised to nominate women to the Supreme Court.

“I have heard several people say that they thought it inappropriate for the president to announce that he was going to sue an African-American woman. Honestly, I didn’t find it inappropriate, ”McConnell said during Tuesday’s event in his home state.

The poll found that Americans’ faith in the Supreme Court continues to wane. Only 21% said they trust the Supreme Court very much, and 24% said they almost do not trust it. The last figure rose slightly from 17% in September 2020, when the question was last asked.

Advertising

___

The AP-NORC survey, which involved 1,289 adults, was conducted Feb. 18-21 using a sample taken from the AmeriSpeak panel, based on the NORC probability, which is designed to represent the U.S. population. The tolerance of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.