Biden aims to pick Justice Stephen Breyer’s replacement on the Supreme Court by the end of February

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer as they announce Breyer will retire at the end of the court’s current term, at the White House in Washington, January 27, 2022.

President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would announce his Supreme Court nominee by the end of February.

Biden said at the White House that he had made no choice. The president confirmed that he will follow through on his promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court.

The president said he would keep that commitment.

The 83-year-old justice told Biden in a letter that he expected to step down when the court begins its summer recess around late June.

Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the chamber. The tie-breaking vote would be cast by the Vice President.

I appreciate the privilege of being part of the federal judicial system.

My relations with my colleagues have been friendly. He wrote that he has been aware of the honor of being a judge in the effort to maintain the rule of law.

One of the three liberal justices on the nine seat bench is the oldest member of the court. The court's conservative majority, which includes three members nominated by Donald Trump, has shown a willingness to flex its power in a growing list of divisive cultural issues.

Democrats have a chance to replace one liberal justice with another before the elections in order to keep control of the Senate.

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