US Supreme Court Justice Wants to Step Down – Opportunity for Biden

US Supreme Court

Stephen Breyer – currently the oldest of the nine judges on the US Supreme Court – is attributed to the liberal camp.

(Photo: Reuters)

Washington According to media reports, US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wants to resign early to make room for a new seat on the politically contested Supreme Court. Several US media, including the broadcasters NBC and CNN, reported on Wednesday, citing Breyer’s environment, the 83-year-old has decided to retire.

For the first time during his term in office, US President Joe Biden would have the opportunity to fill one of the nine most influential seats on the court. During the election campaign, Biden had promised to nominate a black woman as a judge on the Supreme Court for the first time in US history in the event of a vacancy. The personnel would not change the current balance of power at the court, but would still be of great political importance.

Breyer himself initially gave no official explanation. However, various high-ranking politicians have already reacted to his resignation and thanked him for his services at the US Supreme Court. Biden himself said on the sidelines of an appearance in the White House that he would not comment until Breyer had made a statement. CNN reported that the judge could possibly announce his decision this Thursday – together with Biden.

US President

During the election campaign, Biden had promised to nominate a black woman as a judge on the Supreme Court for the first time in US history in the event of a vacancy.

(Photo: Reuters)

With its decisions on particularly controversial issues such as abortion, immigration or same-sex marriages, the US Supreme Court repeatedly sets the course for society. The nine judges are appointed for life. Their selection is therefore 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.

Top jobs of the day

Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.

Breyer – currently the oldest of the nine judges – is attributed to the liberal camp. He appreciates the compromise, is considered a moderate mediator, but leans more to the left. He was once nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The replacement of Breyer’s seat under Democratic President Biden will not change the balance of power between conservatives and liberals on the court. But progressive activists had urged Breyer to step down early to ensure the replacement falls within Biden’s tenure—before Democrats potentially lose their Senate majority in the fall congressional election.

Justices for the Supreme Court are nominated by the President but appointed by the Senate. There, the Democrats currently only have a wafer-thin majority, which they could lose in the congressional elections in November. So time is of the essence for them.

Washington Supreme Court

With its decisions on particularly controversial issues such as abortion, immigration or same-sex marriages, the US Supreme Court repeatedly sets the course for society.

(Photo: Reuters)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that once Biden was nominated, the Judiciary Committee would “promptly” schedule a hearing, and the entire chamber would review and approve the nomination at the appropriate pace. All Biden’s Democrats need in the Senate is a simple majority, which they can get if they act as one. On other issues, the unity of the Democrats in the Senate was very weak. However, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on Twitter that he expects the Democrats to stand together on this person.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September 2020 at the age of 87 from complications from cancer. The death of the liberal justice icon a few months before the presidential election that year had sparked fierce political battles.

Trump and the Republicans absolutely wanted to fill the vacant seat before the election and went through the process of confirming their successor, the conservative lawyer Amy Coney Barrett, at high speed – against great resistance from the Democrats. Since then, the Conservatives have held the dominant majority of six of the nine seats on the court. That could affect the development of US society for decades to come.

More: US Supreme Court blocks Biden’s “light vaccination” for companies

.
source site-12