WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Stephen Breyer is making it official, telling President Joe Biden in a letter that he will step down from the court later this year.
The Supreme Court released Breyer’s retirement letter Thursday, ahead of the 83-year-old justice’s appearance with the president at the White House.
During a White House ceremony, Biden reiterated his pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying it was “long overdue,” as he praised retiring Justice Stephen Breyer as a model public servant.
Breyer joined Biden at the White House Thursday, a day after news broke of the 83-year-old’s upcoming retirement. “It’s long overdue, in my view,” Biden said of the nominee. He promised to have a choice by the end of February.
The president is considering at least three judges for the expected vacancy on the Supreme Court as he prepares to quickly deliver on his campaign pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court.