Stephen Breyer news - latest: Biden stands by Black woman justice pledge as party outlines one month timetable

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President Joe Biden speaks to reporters about Judge Breyer retiring

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is expected to announce his retirement as soon as Thursday, NBC News reported. This gives President Joe Biden an opportunity to replace one of the court’s three Democrat appointees and bolster the court’s liberal wing.

Democrats hoped Mr Breyer, who is 83 years old, would retire while they hold the majority in the Senate before the 2022 midterm elections, since Republicans are expected to win the majority.

In response to shouted questions from the press, President Joe Biden said: “Every justice has the right to decide what he or she is going to do and announce it on their own... There has been no announcement from Justice Breyer. Let him make whatever statement he’s going to make and I’ll be happy to talk about later.”

The White House says the president will stick by his commitment to nominate a Black woman to the court, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer will seek a quick one-month turnaround on the appointment.

[26 January 2022 18:38 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden: ‘Every justice has to right to decide what he or she is going to do'

In response to shouted questions from the press, President Joe Biden said: “Every justice has the right to decide what he or she is going to do and announce it on their own... There has been no announcement from Justice Breyer. Let him make whatever statement he’s going to make and I’ll be happy to talk about later.”

[26 January 2022 18:32 · Oliver O'Connell]

Lindsey Graham: No Republicans will support Biden nomination

Lindsey Graham says that any replacement for Justice Breyer will move forward without Republican support.

The South Carolina Republican said he appreciated Mr Breyer’s service to the nation and called him a “scholar and a gentleman”.

[26 January 2022 18:26 · Oliver O'Connell]

Progressives keen for Biden to appoint justice

The timing of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement comes at an opportune moment for Democrats.

There has been a months-long campaign by progressives, that began soon after Mr Biden assumed office, urging Mr Breyer to retire allowing the president to name a successor while Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate.

Mr Breyer’s retirement and replacement will not alter the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court, but will sure up the liberal wing potentially for decades to come.

[26 January 2022 18:17 · Oliver O'Connell]

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer expected to retire

Good afternoon.

Justice Stephen Breyer, the senior member of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing, plans to retire after nearly 28 years on the bench.

This would give President Joe Biden the opportunity to make his first appointment to the nation’s highest court, one that is poised to be historic.

CBS News cites multiple sources, including two White House officials and a senior Democratic congressional staffer, as having confirmed Mr Breyer’s intention to step down.