Justice Stephen Breyer.Photo: Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty
Despite a chorus of calls from Democrats to retire before they lose the ability to control his replacement, JusticeStephen Breyersays he is content to continue going to work every day and, when the Supreme Court isn’t in session, spending quality time with his family at their New Hampshire hideaway.
Breyer, 82,spoke to CNN this weekfor a wide-ranging conversation covering his possible retirement (about which he remains ambivalent) as well as his personal life
Asked whether he had decided when he would step down from his role as the court’s senior liberla judge, Breyer offered a direct response: “No.”
“Primarily, of course, health,” he told CNN when asked what factors would play a role in his decision. “Second, the court.”
The makeup of the country’s highest court changed significantly under former PresidentDonald Trump, who named three justices and, in the eyes of observers, cemented the court’s conservative leanings.
With Breyer’s 83rd birthday coming in August, liberals worry that if he doesn’t retire before they lose their Senate majority, he could eventually be replaced with a conservative as well.
According to CNN’s profile this week, Breyer doesn’t seem too concerned with that pressure. Indeed, the network describes the justice as “relaxed” during his interview, which took place near Breyer’s summer retreat in the small town of Plainfield.
He left the hospital for his first meeting with then-PresidentBill Clinton, to discuss a potential nomination to the Supreme Court, though Ginsburg was ultimately selected for that vacancy.
“You have to figure out what you’re going to say in conference to a greater extent, to get it across simply,” Breyer told CNN. “You have to be flexible, hear other people, and be prepared to modify your views.”
With Ginsburg’s death last year, Breyer succeeded her as the anchor of the court’s liberal-leaning minority.
He released a poem mourning her, writing in part: “a great Justice; a woman of valour; a rock of righteousness; and my good, good friend.”
source: people.com
