Here's who will help Biden's Supreme Court pick navigate Senate hearings

When President Biden names his nominee to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, he will lean on former Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama to help guide her through the Senate confirmation process, a source familiar with the plan said on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said that Biden plans to have a team of people shepherding his nominee through the process, including senior White House officials and counsel, as well as expertise from outside the building. Jones will be part of that team, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement, which was first reported by the New York Times.

Jones is best known for prosecuting the perpetrators of the Birmingham church bombing almost 40 years after four young girls were killed in the civil rights era crime. He won a special election in 2017 to fill the seat left by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general, and was known as a moderate Democrat, working across the aisle with Republicans. Jones worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee as a staff counsel after he graduated from law school.

Biden has said he plans to name his nominee by the end of the month, and has pledged to choose a Black woman for the job. The White House has said there is a broad field of potential candidates, with several early frontrunners.

Biden met at the White House on Tuesday with Sen. Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican. GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that he had also spoken with Biden on Tuesday by phone about his upcoming pick. Biden has said he is seeking advice from senators and outside experts during the process. [Copyright 2022 NPR]