Stephen Breyer, 83, is to retire from SCOTUS after 27 years: Biden is now expected to nominate a black, female justiceJustice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term
At 83, Breyer is the court's oldest member
Breyer had been under pressure from liberal activists to retire
Biden promised during campaign to nominate a black woman to the high court
Among likely contenders are federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and Leondra Kruger, a justice on California's Supreme Court
Another contender is Judge J. Michelle Childs, of the Federal District Court in S.C., who is being pushed as a non-Ivy candidate who has diverse experience
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Biden's pick would be confirmed with 'all deliberate speed' By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 12:14 EST, 26 January 2022 | UPDATED: 13:13 EST, 26 January 2022Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
The current court term will end in June or early July.
Breyer is one of the three remaining liberal justices and has been under pressure to step down in order to let President Joe Biden appoint his replacement.
Liberal activists fretted that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stayed on the Supreme Court too long despite her history of health problems and should have stepped down during the Obama administration. Instead, when she died in 2020, President Donald Trump appointed a conservative, Amy Coney Barrett, to fill her seat, moving the court further to the right.
Breyer's decision to retire after more than 27 years on the court allows Biden to appoint a successor who could serve for several decades. Biden's appointee should maintain the current 6-3 split between conservative and liberal justices on the high court.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10444619/Stephen-Breyer-83-retire-SCOTUS-27-years.html
