Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) tells Senate colleagues that he’d like to see President Biden nominate Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina to the Supreme Court, reports Punchbowl News. Manchin hasn't endorsed Childs publicly, but he has made it clear to other senators that he thinks Childs, a federal district judge would be a good choice to replace the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden has interviewed Childs and judges Ketanji Brown Jackson of Washington, D.C., and Leondra Kruger of California. The president intends to announce a choice in the next few days.
Manchin has mentioned Childs’ public school education as a major plus. Childs went to the University of South Florida and earned a law degree at the University of South Carolina. Manchin notes that the rest of the Supreme Court is is filled with Ivy League grads. He prefers a candidate who can win bipartisan support. Childs already has the backing of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and other Republicans may follow suit. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has been Childs’ biggest booster and has been lobbying senators. Childs has refused to grant "compassionate releases" to any of 23 federal inmates who have applied to be freed from prison, reports Inquest.org. The overall rate of such releases is low: only 18 percent of compassionate release motions were granted in 2020 and early 2021.