Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, one of the court's three liberal justices, will soon resign from the court, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Breyer's retirement paves the way for President Joe Biden's first nomination to the court.
At 83, Breyer is one of the oldest justices serving on the Supreme Court. He's the second-longest-serving justice currently on the bench, having been confirmed to the court in 1994 following a nomination by President Bill Clinton.
Justice Clarence Thomas (confirmed to the bench in 1991) is the only current justice who has served longer than Breyer.
Many Democrats have been pushing Breyer to retire now — while Democrats control the White House and the Senate — to ensure another liberal judge is added to the high court.
The ideology of the court has swung to favor conservatives in recent years. President Donald Trump — buoyed by a Republican-led Senate's refusal to vote on President Barack Obama's nominee ahead of the 2016 election — nominated three conservative justices to the bench in his four years in office: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. The additions of those justices gave conservatives a 6-3 advantage on the court.
Breyer's retirement comes as the Supreme Court weighs several landmark cases that concern abortion rights, voting rights and affirmative action in the college selection process.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
