Coming Soon: Political Theater of Supreme Court Nominations

President Joe Biden’s meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee leaders at the White House last week was the first of many moments of stagecraft surrounding a Supreme Court vacancy.

Biden, like his predecessors, wants to convey careful deliberation and outreach to senators across party lines before choosing a nominee.

The reality is that as the confirmation process has grown more partisan, the rituals are often as much about political theater as substance, something Biden knows well himself as a former senator and chair of the judiciary panel. Occasionally, a candidate’s performance can sink a nomination.

Here’s a look at rituals to ...