Former President Joe Biden celebrated the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, during a speech at the National Bar Association’s 100th annual gala in Chicago. The event took place just hours after one of his aides testified before the Republican House Oversight Committee as part of an investigation into the former president’s fitness for office.
Biden stumbled over his words multiple times during the speech, especially when discussing his time as vice president to former President Barack Obama and his selection of Kamala Harris as vice president. Harris made history as the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
The former president also highlighted his administration’s commitment to appointing demographically diverse judges. He stated, “I promised to have an administration that looked like America and appoint a bench that looked like America. And I kept my promise. I appointed the most demographically diverse … slate of judges ever in the history of the United States of America. The top of that list, one of the greatest lawyers I’ve ever met, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court.”
He continued, “Justice Jackson, as you witnessed earlier this week, has proven herself to have the wisdom and the character that I saw in her when I nominated her. Appointed 13 Black women to the Courts of Appeals of the United States Federal Court, more than every other president in American history combined. For other historic firsts as well, for Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Muslim Americans, by the way, I didn’t just appoint Ivy League judges.”
The National Bar Association, founded before Black attorneys were allowed to join the American Bar Association, consists of 66,000 members advocating for civil rights and diversity. Attendees at the gala included Justice Jackson, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, MSNBC pundit Joy-Ann Reid, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Allegations have been made against Biden and his allies for concealing the truth about Biden’s mental fitness during his time in office, particularly after his debate performance against President Donald Trump in 2024. Multiple investigations are ongoing regarding Biden’s cognitive decline and potentially unauthorized executive actions taken during his presidency.
Longtime Biden aide Michael Donilon testified before the House Oversight Committee, revealing that he stood to earn up to $8 million if Biden had won re-election in 2024. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s spokesperson for comment but has not received a reply yet.
Fox News’ Charlie Creitz and Alex Schemmel contributed to this report.
