Ketanji Brown Jackson (via screengrab)
Although it’s long been known that Stephen Breyer will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of its term, making way for Ketanji Brown Jackson, the longtime associate justice confirmed his last day on the court will be Thursday. The high court also confirmed that Jackson will be sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on SCOTUS as soon as Breyer’s retirement goes into effect at noon.
The news comes down not long after the Supreme Court announced that tomorrow will be the last opinion day of the term, as the outgoing justice noted in his letter to President Joe Biden:
Dear Mr. President,This past January, I wrote to inform you of my intent to retire from regular active service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, upon the Court rising for its summer recess. You have nominated and the United States Senate has confirmed the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed me in the office, and I understand that she is prepared to take the prescribed oaths to begin her service as the 116th member of this Court.The Court has announced that tomorrow, beginning at 10 a.m., it will hand down all remaining opinions ready during this Term. Accordingly, my retirement from active service under the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 371(b) will be effective on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at noon.It has been my great honor to participate as a judge in the effort to maintain our Constitution and the Rule of Law.
Later on Wednesday, SCOTUS noted that Breyer will administer the “Judicial Oath” and Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the “Constitutional Oath” at Jackson’s live-streamed ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Breyer was appointed to the high court back in 1994 by then-President Bill Clinton.
A copy of the full letter appears below:
[Image via CSPAN screengrab]