US President Joe Biden has promised to nominate a black woman for the vacant Supreme Court justice.
"I think that's long overdue," Biden said Thursday at the White House.
He has not yet made a decision on a specific candidate, but wants to announce the nomination before the end of February, the president said.
His candidate will be a person of "outstanding qualifications".
During the election campaign, Biden had already promised that if the president were vacant, he would nominate a black woman for the first time in US history as a judge on the Supreme Court.
With his personnel policy, Biden wants to ensure that the heads of the country's institutions also reflect the ethnic diversity and diversity of the United States.
One of the Supreme Court justices, 83-year-old Stephen Breyer, announced on Wednesday that he intends to retire in the summer.
For the first time in his tenure, Biden will have the opportunity to fill one of the nine most influential seats on the court.
The Senate must approve Biden's nomination.