US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring. This according to NBC News.
Breyer was appointed by Bill Clinton (been a SC Justice since 1994) and is the most senior Liberal of the SC Justices.
His retiring now ahead of the mid term elections is probably a calculated decision to allow the nomination and approval process to be complete before those elections.
Below is the process for approving a SC Justice. They are voted on by the Senate with a simple majority needed to be confirmed.
Recall that SC Justice Ruth Ginsburg died just before the 2020 election and Pres. Trump fast tracked Justice Barrett to fill the vacant seat on October 26th, just ahead of the election. Some had speculated that if Ginsburg had retired at 80 while Obama was still president, he could have nominated a younger liberal to the life-long position. Pres. Trump appointed 3 new justices to the Supreme Court tilting the bias to the conservative side.
The Republicans also slowed the approval process of Obama nominees to the lower courts until after President Trump and the Senate was in the GOPs control.
Can the GOP delay the approval process until the November elections are over? Will the Sinema/Manchin swing voters of the Democratic Party vote for or against a nominee?
Breyer is 83 years old.