Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, two sources told the Associated Press. With him gone, President Joe Biden will have to name a replacement. 

Is Justice Breyer liberal or conservative?

The 83-year-old is a liberal. 

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What does a liberal justice mean?

Someone who has liberal views believes people should have a lot of freedom in deciding how to behave and think. 

Breyer was first appointed as a justice in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. He has been in the position since. He and late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were the two liberals who opted not to step down when the Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate during Barack Obama’s presidency. 

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Stephen Breyer retiring will not change the 6-3 conservative dominance in the US Supeme Court. 

Among the names being circulated as potential nominees are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, prominent civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill and U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs, whom Biden has nominated to be an appeals court judge. Childs is a favorite of Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who made a crucial endorsement of Biden just before South Carolina’s presidential primary in 2020.

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Breyer authored two major opinions in support of abortion rights on a court closely divided over the issue, and he laid out his growing discomfort with the death penalty in a series of dissenting opinions in recent years. His views on displaying the Ten Commandments on government property illustrate his search for a middle ground. He was the only member of the court in the majority in both cases in 2005 that barred Ten Commandments displays in two Kentucky courthouses but allowed one to remain on the grounds of the state Capitol in Austin, Texas.

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In more than 27 years on the court, Breyer has been an active and cheerful questioner during arguments, a frequent public speaker and quick with a joke, often at his own expense. He made a good natured appearance on a humorous National Public Radio program in 2007, failing to answer obscure questions about pop stars.

Breyer and his wife, Joanna, a psychologist and daughter of the late British Conservative leader John Blakenham, have three children — daughters Chloe and Nell and a son, Michael — and six grandchildren.

With inputs from the Associated Press