Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, has announced his plan to retire at the end of the current Supreme Court term, giving President Biden a slot to fill with a younger progressive Justice. The liberal Justice has served 27 years on the Supreme Court. Progressives have been urging Breyer to retire and avoid the scenario with the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, whose death in 2020 allowed the Malignant Loser to appoint the far-right Amy Coney Barrett to the court in her place a few weeks before he was defeated. With the Senate closely divided and shaky prospects for holding the Senate next year, it was important for Breyer to make his decision as early as possible (last year would have been optimal), to allow for a nomination and confirmation hearings while the Senate is controlled by the Dems.
Speculation as to who Biden will nominate centers on two black female jurists, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and California Supreme Court Judge Leondra Kruger. Jackson was confirmed for the Appeals Court by the Senate just last year by a vote of 53 - 44.
(photo: Jim Young / Reuters)
