Progressives Short Circuit After Stephen Breyer Rejects Notion of Retiring From Supreme Court: ‘So Naive and Delusional’

Ken MeyerJul 15th, 2021, 10:04 am
 

It seems Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is not ready to appease liberals who have been hoping for his retirement from the bench.

Breyer gave an interview to CNN’s Joan Biskupic in which he said he’s satisfied with his status as the Supreme Court’s senior liberal, and he hasn’t decided yet when he’ll step down. When he was asked what would be the deciding factors for whenever he does retire, Breyer answered “primarily, of course, health. Second, the Court.”

“I asked him directly ‘have you decided whether you’re going to retire?'” Bikupic said as she discussed the interview on New Day. “And he said ‘no’ very flatly.”

In recent months, several liberals and progressive figures have expressed hope that Breyer’s retirement will come sooner rather than later. The reason for this is that the vacancy Breyer leaves behind will give President Joe Biden the chance to nominate a younger, similarly left-leaning successor who’s likely to be confirmed to the Supreme Court while Democrats have a majority in both sides of Congress.

Asked about this, Biskupic said Breyer essentially told her “He’s not going anywhere just now.”

“He didn’t say that explicitly, but that was certainly between the lines,” she continued. “He hadn’t wanted to speak about this, but I went up there and he was willing to give me some material to at least know what we can expect in the near future, but I think your reading between the lines is exactly what mine is: not for a while.”

Since Breyer’s decision maintains the status quo of the Supreme Court and rejects the judicial calculus surrounding his seat, the news has drawn a less-than-stellar reception among left-wingers.

Watch above, via CNN.

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