Biden jokes that he's '28 years old' while noting that he's 'presided over more Supreme Court nominations than almost anyone living today'

• Biden announced his nomination of DC Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
• He noted that he's "presided over more Supreme Court nominations than almost anyone living today."

President Joe Biden joked that he was "28 years old" while formally announcing the nomination of DC Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court at the White House on Friday.

Speaking beside Judge Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden said he brings his "perspective as a lawyer, former constitutional law professor" and "chairman of the Judiciary Committee for many, many years" to his decision.

"And I'm almost reluctant to say it — someone who's presided over more Supreme Court nominations than almost anyone living today," he said. "Which makes me 28 years old."

The president briefly deadpanned, before winking as event attendees laughed. "I started doing it when I was 32," he added.

Biden, who's 79 years old, was the lead Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1997, serving as chair of the committee from 1987 to 1995. He presided over six Supreme Court nominations during his time as chair, including particularly contentious hearings for Republican appointees Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.

As vice president, Biden was involved in Obama's selection of Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, as well as current Attorney General Merrick Garland.

But Garland's 2016 nomination was stonewalled by Senate Republicans, who claimed that it would be unfair to voters to confirm a justice during an election year. The Republican-led Senate would later confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the court just weeks before the 2020 election.

Judge Jackson, who was confirmed to her current role in June 2021 with bipartisan support, would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if she is confirmed by the Senate. She was chosen to fill the upcoming vacancy left by retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer.