Justice Stephen Breyer will reportedly retire from the Supreme Court.
The news: Multiple reports suggest Breyer will soon retire from the Supreme Court, which paves the way for President Joe Biden to appoint a new justice.
- Breyer is currently the court’s oldest member.
Why it matters: Right now, Breyer has faced tremendous pressure from his fellow liberals to be strategic about when he retires, the Deseret News’s Kelsey Dallas writes.
- The Supreme Court is leaning conservative at the moment. Liberals have been pushing for Breyer to retire early so that Democratic President Joe Biden and the Democrat-led Senate could confirm a liberal replacement.
- Many are looking at former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as an example. She decided not to retire while President Barack Obama was in office. She passed away under former President Donald Trump’s tenure. Trump picked a conservative replacement.
Who’s next?: Per NBC News, Biden has pledged to make a liberal appointment. Some of the leading contenders include:
- Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is a former Breyer law clerk.
- Leondra Kruger, a justice on California’s Supreme Court.