Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who belongs to the liberal camp, apparently wants to vacate his post prematurely. The US television channels NBC and CNN, citing Breyer’s environment, report that the 83-year-old has decided to retire.
This would give US President Joe Biden the opportunity to fill one of the nine influential seats on the highest US court. Biden had promised during the election campaign that if there was a vacancy, for the first time in US history he would nominate a black woman as a judge on the Supreme Court. According to CNN, the US President could announce a name or introduce the candidate to the public as early as Thursday.
Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki wrote on Twitter that it has always been the decision of each Supreme Court justice whether and when to retire and how to announce it.
In the past, the US Supreme Court has often made directional decisions that have had a major impact on US society, for example in the debate on abortions, on immigration issues or when it came to same-sex marriages. The nine judges are appointed for life. Their selection is a highly competitive political process. Ex-President Donald Trump and his Senate Republicans were able to place three judges on the Supreme Court during Trump’s tenure, which is why six of the nine judges are currently considered conservative.