His withdrawal should allow Joe Biden to choose his successor and obtain his confirmation in the Senate before the midterm elections in November.
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The progressive judge of the Supreme Court of the United States Stephen Breyer will leave his functions at the end of the current session, that is to say at the end of June, report, Wednesday January 26, several American media. The 83-year-old magistrate, who has served in the powerful institution for nearly 28 years, is expected to announce his decision at the White House shortly, according to unnamed sources quoted by NBC and CNN as well as NPR radio. (in English).
His withdrawal should allow Joe Biden to choose his successor and obtain his confirmation in the Senate before the midterm elections in November, which could deprive the Democrats of control of the upper house. The Democratic president has promised that, given the chance, he would appoint a black woman to America’s highest court. A promise that the White House repeated on Wednesday, without waiting for the official announcement. Magistrate Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the Washington Federal Court of Appeals, is one of the names circulating insistently.
Appointments to the Supreme Court, which arbitrates most major social issues in the United States, have been the subject of fierce political battles for several years. During his tenure, Republican Donald Trump brought in three judges, out of a total of nine, which firmly anchored the institution in conservatism.
Their influence has been particularly felt since September, with a sharp shift to the right. The temple of American law has invalidated the vaccination obligation in large companies, decreed by Joe Biden, and seems ready to reconsider the right to abortion and to expand the right to bear arms.