(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said on Wednesday that
he will officially step down from the bench at noon Thursday,
Trend reports citing Xinhua .
Breyer, who has served as an associate justice of the Supreme
Court since 1994, made the announcement in a letter to U.S.
President Joe Biden.
The 83-year-old liberal announced his retirement from the court
earlier this year. He will be replaced by 51-year-old Ketanji Brown
Jackson.
Jackson, who was nominated by Biden in late February and
confirmed by the Senate in April, will be the first African
American woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Breyer's departure came less than a week after the Supreme
Court's bombshell decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate
constitutional protection to abortion rights.
Breyer and two other liberal justices dissented in a 66-page
opinion.
Jackson, who has sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.
Circuit since June 2021, is expected to be sworn in later this
year. Before being elevated to the court of appeals, she served
more than eight years as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia.
The Supreme Court is the final appellate court of the U.S.
judicial system, with the power to review and overturn lower court
decisions, and is also generally the final interpreter of federal
law, including the nation's constitution.
The justices of the Supreme Court have life tenure and can serve
until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed from
office.
MENAFN29062022000187011040ID1104455032
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.