US President Joe Biden has affirmed that he will appoint a black woman to the top US court for the first time in history. The eventual nominee will take up a seat to be vacated by liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who will retire in June. Appearing with Mr Breyer on Thursday, Mr Biden promised a replacement with the “experience and integrity” needed for the role. He said he’ll announce his pick by the end of February. Three judges are considered top contenders. Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, is widely believed to be the top contender to replace Justice Breyer. Born in Washington DC and raised in Miami, Ms Jackson currently serves on the influential US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit. Three current justices previously served on the court. “Presidents are not kings,” she wrote in a 2019 ruling compelling a former aide to President Trump to testify in the Russia meddling probe. “They do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control.” The jurist has two degrees from Harvard University, which she attended as an undergraduate and as a law student, once serving as editor of the Harvard Law Review.(BBC)…[+]