Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is expected to announce his retirement as soon as Thursday, NBC News reported. This gives President Joe Biden an opportunity to replace one of the court’s three Democrat appointees and bolster the court’s liberal wing.
Democrats hoped Mr Breyer, who is 83 years old, would retire while they hold the majority in the Senate before the 2022 midterm elections, since Republicans are expected to win the majority.
In response to shouted questions from the press, President Joe Biden said: “Every justice has the right to decide what he or she is going to do and announce it on their own... There has been no announcement from Justice Breyer. Let him make whatever statement he’s going to make and I’ll be happy to talk about later.”
The White House says the president will stick by his commitment to nominate a Black woman to the court, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer will seek a quick one-month turnaround on the appointment.
