United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has announced he will retire, giving President Joe Biden an opportunity to nominate a new jurist to the country’s highest court.
In a letter to President Biden on Thursday, the 83-year-old justice said his resignation would take effect at the end of the current term, usually in late June or early July, “assuming that by then my successor has been nominated and confirmed.”
The President repeated an earlier promise that he would nominate a Black woman to the nine-member high court, which would be a first in U.S. history. Biden said he would announce a pick to replace Breyer before the end of February.
Supreme Court justices serve lifetime appointments and a replacement to Breyer is likely to serve in the role for decades.