On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer formally announced his intention to retire from the Court after the current term.
Breyer wrote in a letter to President Biden, “I am writing to tell you that I have decided to retire from regular active judicial service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and to serve under the provisions of 28 U. S. C. § 371(b). I intend this decision to take effect when the Court rises for the summer recess this year (typically late June or early July) assuming that by then my successor has been nominated and confirmed.”
“I enormously appreciate the privilege of serving as part of the federal judicial system – nearly 14 years as a Court of Appeals Judge and nearly 28 years as a Member of the Supreme Court. I have found the work challenging and meaningful. My relations with each of my colleagues have been warm and friendly. Throughout, I have been aware of the great honor of participating s a judge in the effort to maintain our Constitution and the rule of law,” Breyer added.
News of Breyer’s plan to retire broke Wednesday, as sources close to Breyer leaked the news to multiple outlets.
“Breyer, 83, is expected to stay on until the end of the court term and until a replacement is confirmed, a well-placed source familiar with the matter told CNN,” CNN reported.
Breyer was reportedly “upset” that the news leaked before he had been able to make a formal announcement.
“Justice Breyer was not planning to announce his retirement today,” Fox News legal correspondent Shannon Bream reported, adding, “I’m told that he is ‘upset,’ that the way that this is being handled was not the timeline that he had planned.”
