Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire, giving President Joe Biden a chance to nominate to the bench, a well-placed source familiar with the matter told CNN
, setting up a seismic confirmation battle at the start of a midterm election year as President Joe Biden tries to find his footing with his agenda stalled and Democrats divided in Congress.
Breyer, 83, is expected to stay on until the end of the court term and until a replacement is confirmed, a well-placed source familiar with the matter told CNN.He informed Biden of his plans last week and will formally announce his retirement at a White House event with the President as early as Thursday, two sources told CNN.
Justice Breyer: 'It's important not to have transparency' 02:09In his later years on the court, he was best known for a dissent he wrote in 2015 in a case concerning execution by lethal injection. He took the opportunity to write separately and suggest to the court that it take up the constitutionality of the death penalty.
Biskupic: Why Breyer chose to announce his retirement now 01:59He read parts of his dissent -- twice as long as any he'd ever written -- from the bench. He said he was worried that the majority of the court was jeopardizing Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark opinion declaring school segregation unconstitutional. "The last half century has witnessed great strides toward racial equality, but we have not yet realized the promise of Brown," Breyer wrote.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stephen Breyer and the End of the Apolitical Supreme CourtEven John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett claim to be above partisan politics. But the retiring Stephen Breyer may be the last justice to actually believe it. ed_kilgore writes
Read more »
Who will Biden appoint to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer?Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term, according to people familiar with his thinking. His decision to retire allows President Joe Biden to appoint a successor to one of the three remaining liberal justices. NBC's Peter Alexander discusses who it might be.
Read more »
Justice Stephen Breyer, an influential liberal on the Supreme Court, to retireBehind the scenes, Breyer, 83, pushed and prodded his fellow justices for consensus. His decision gives President Biden his first opportunity to name a new justice to the court.
Read more »
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Retiring, Perfectly Timed for DemsSupreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after more than 2 decades on the bench.
Read more »
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retireSupreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, giving Biden an opening he has pledged to fill by naming the first Black woman to the high court.
Read more »
Stephen Breyer Is Retiring, Clearing the Way for Biden to Nominate a New Supreme Court JusticeStephen Breyer Is retiring, clearing the way for Biden to nominate a new Supreme Court justice
Read more »