- Breyer, 83, has served on the court since 1994.
- He will retire at noon (1600 GMT) on Thursday shortly after the court issues the last of its rulings.
- Jackson is set to become the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s top judicial body.
In order to make space for President Joe Biden’s nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson; to be sworn in to the lifetime position to replace him; the court announced on Wednesday that liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; will formally retire on Thursday. Since joining the court in 1994, Breyer, 83, has stated his intention to retire in January. On Thursday, just after the court publishes the final decision; of its current term, he will step down at noon (1600 GMT). Jackson is about to become the first Black woman to hold a position; on the highest court in the country.
In a letter to Biden, Breyer stated, “It has been my great privilege to assist; as a judge in the battle to safeguard; our Constitution and the Rule of Law.”
Biden, who has aimed to give the federal judiciary a wider diversity of backgrounds; won a success with Jackson’s confirmation; by the U.S. Senate on April 7.
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On a court that has shifted more to the right; notably last Friday when its conservative majority invalidated; the constitutional right to abortion recognised in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision; Breyer, the court’s senior justice; frequently found himself in dissent. In that ruling, a Mississippi law prohibiting abortions; beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy was upheld.
Breyer also disagreed with another significant decision; made by the court’s conservatives last week; which recognised for the first time a constitutional right; to open carry of a weapon.
At a White House gathering, Breyer gave a speech after announcing his retirement. Breyer held up a copy of the 18th-century founding document; and declared, “People have come to appreciate this Constitution; and they have come to accept the importance of the rule of law.”
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