Stephen Breyer says he hasn't decided when he'll retire

Stephen Breyer
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer in a new interview says he hasn't decided when he'll retire as he faces calls from liberals to do so.

Breyer in an interview with CNN was asked if he's decided when to step down from the Supreme Court, and he simply responded, "No." He told CNN, however, that he will take two factors into account when making the decision.

"Primarily, of course, health," he said. "Second, the court."

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Some on the left have been calling for Breyer to step down from the Supreme Court while Democrats are in the majority in the Senate to ensure President Biden would be able to replace him with another liberal justice. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said that if Republicans take back the Senate in 2022, they would likely block Biden from filling a Supreme Court vacancy in 2024 and possibly earlier.

Breyer declined to answer further questions about the timing of his retirement. But Joan Biskupic, who conducted the interview with Breyer, said on CNN that what was "between the lines" of his comments was that "he's not going anywhere just now. ... not for a while."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.