Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is reportedly planning to announce his retirement.
Breyer, 83, intends to leave the Supreme Court at the end of its current term, NBC News and CNN reported Wednesday. He has not yet made the news official, but NBC reported the announcement is likely to come within the next day. NBC News' Pete Williams also reported that Breyer made the decision to step down sometime in the past few weeks and the White House is "fully prepared to take the next steps."
Breyer is the oldest member of the Supreme Court, and was nominated by former President Bill Clinton in 1994. His retirement will pave the way for President Biden to name a nominee to the Supreme Court for the first time since taking office. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday "it has always been the decision of any Supreme Court Justice if and when they decide to retire, and how they want to announce it, and that remains the case today."
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Breyer had faced pressure from the left to retire while Biden was in office and Democrats held a majority in Congress to ensure he would be replaced by another liberal justice. Last August, Breyer hinted at retirement in an interview with The New York Times, saying he didn't want to be replaced by someone who would "just reverse everything I've done for the last 25 years." He added, "I don't think I'm going to stay there till I die — hope not."
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