NBC News reports:
Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term, according to people familiar with his thinking.
Breyer is one of the three remaining liberal justices, and his decision to retire after more than 27 years on the court allows President Joe Biden to appoint a successor who could serve for several decades and, in the short term, maintain the current 6-3 split between conservative and liberal justices.
At 83, Breyer is the court’s oldest member. Liberal activists have urged him for months to retire while Democrats hold both the White House and the Senate. They contended that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stayed too long despite her history of health problems and should have stepped down during the Obama administration.
Biden in March 2020: “Number one, I committed that if I’m elected as president & have the opportunity to appoint someone to the courts, I’ll appoint the first Black woman to the Court. It’s required that they have representation now — it’s long overdue.” https://t.co/FfTsDIaq3a
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 26, 2022
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 https://t.co/D7J7yz7nNR
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 26, 2022