Report: Breyer Is Retiring From the Supreme Court

Sources say he will step down at end of this term
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 26, 2022 11:28 AM CST
Report: SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer Is Retiring
In this April 23, 2021 photo, Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer sits during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington.   (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)

After months of pressure to step down while Democrats are still in control of the White House and Senate, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has decided to retire at the end of the court's current term, sources tell outlets including NPR and NBC. Breyer, one of the top court's three remaining liberals, was nominated by Bill Clinton and has served on the court since 1994. President Biden now has a chance to name a new justice. He has said he would nominate a Black woman if the opportunity arose. According to NPR's sources, the leading contenders are federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger.

At 83, Breyer is the court's oldest justice. He became the ranking liberal after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020. The White House declined to comment on Breyer's plans Wednesday, reports CNN. "It has always been the decision of any Supreme Court Justice if and when they decide to retire, and how they want to announce it, and that remains the case today," tweeted press secretary Jen Psaki. "We have no additional details or information to share." (In July last year, Breyer said his health and "the court" would be the main factors in his decision.)

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