Justice Stephen Breyer’s Retirement Leaves Vacancy on Supreme Court
February 16, 2022
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his retirement after over 27 years, leaving a new seat for President Biden to fill. Breyer, the court’s oldest member, is one of three liberal justices. His retirement allows Biden to appoint a new liberal justice who can serve for decades to come, maintaining the current liberal-conservative makeup of the court. His decision to retire comes at a time when both the House and Senate are controlled by the Democratic party, which may change in the midterm elections.
Biden has promised to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court in Breyer’s place and is currently considering three candidates with the advice of the Senate Judiciary Committee (a committee that Biden has served on in the past), his own party , and the Republican party. He has voiced his intention of gaining bipartisan support for his nominee, as well as avoiding the tension that usually follows Supreme Court nominations.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons, from Delaware, commented that Biden’s criteria for the nominee is “someone in the model of Justice Breyer, someone who will write stirring, compelling, lasting arguments — hopefully in the majority at some point, but probably, in the coming few years, in the dissent.”
“He is on track to select a SCOTUS nominee by the end of this month,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
“He’s doing this just to get supporters in a way, but it’ll be interesting to see an experienced Black woman on the Supreme Court, and I’m excited to see who he chooses,” said Manuela Gonzalez, senior.
Biden has discussed his candidates with lawmakers from both parties, as well as other experts, determining which nominee has the greatest chance of bipartisan support. While no clear decision has been announced yet, Biden is on track to choose a nominee by the end of February- his first choices so far appear to be Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (D.C. Circuit), District Judge J. Michelle Childs (SC), and Supreme Court Associate Justice Leondra Kruger (CA).
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