Stephen Breyer hints at retiring from the Supreme Court

Justice Stephen Breyer
(Image credit: Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

When might Stephen Breyer retire from the Supreme Court? According to a new interview, he hasn't decided, but he opened up a bit about the "psychology" of the decision.

Breyer spoke with The New York Times amid continuing pressure from the left to retire in order to ensure President Biden can replace him on the Supreme Court with another liberal justice. The Times writes that Breyer is "struggling to decide when to retire," but he said in the interview there are "many things" that will go into the decision. In particular, Breyer pointed to a comment the late Justice Antonin Scalia once made about his hopes for his successor.

"He said, 'I don't want somebody appointed who will just reverse everything I've done for the last 25 years,'" Breyer said, adding that this will "inevitably be in the psychology" of his decision.

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"I don't think I'm going to stay there till I die — hope not," Breyer also said.

This comes after Breyer last month said in an interview with CNN he hasn't decided on when he'll retire but that he'll take two factors into account: "Primarily, of course, health," he said. "Second, the court."

While not providing more information about his retirement plans, Breyer told the Times that "there are many considerations," while noting, "I don't like making decisions about myself." Read the full interview at The New York Times.

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