President Joe Biden said Thursday he would announce a nominee by the end of February to fill the vacancy of retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who officially confirmed that he plans to step down at the end of the court’s current term.
Breyer, in a letter to the White House, wrote that his decision to retire from the Supreme Court would take effect in late June or early July, “assuming that my successor has been nominated and confirmed.”
Those scheduling items sharpened the task for Senate Democrats, who have said they would move quickly through the confirmation process for Breyer’s successor. Democrats on the Judiciary Committee planned to meet virtually later Thursday.
