Liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after close to three decades on the bench, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, quoting sources. US President Joe Biden will now have an opportunity to nominate a successor and he has reportedly pledged to fill the opening by naming the first Black woman to the high court. However, Breyer’s departure, expected over the summer, will not the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority.

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Who is Stephen Breyer?

Born in San Francisco, California, on August 15, 1938, Stephen Breyer received an A.B. from Stanford University. He attended Oxford, where he received first-class honors in philosophy, politics and economics. Breyer then attended Harvard Law School.

Stephen Breyer started his career by serving as a law clerk to Justice Arthur Goldberg of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1964 Term. He taught law in several universities between 1967 and 1980. He served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1980-1990 and as its Chief Judge from 1990–1994. 

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The 83-year-old was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.  He, along with the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, decided to not step down the last time the Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate during Barack Obama’s presidency. 

In close to 28 years on the court, Breyer authored two major opinions in support of abortion rights. He also put forward his growing discomfort with the death penalty in a number of dissenting opinions in recent years.

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Breyer is known for his elaborate hypothetical questions to lawyers during arguments.

With inputs from The Associated Press