(Updated with Biden)
WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Judge Stephen Breyer on Thursday announced his decision to step down from the United States Supreme Court, of which he is the oldest member, which should allow President Joe Biden to replace him with a progressive judge.
Stephen Breyer, 83, a Democrat, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 1994. He says in a letter that he intends to retire at the end of the current session of the court, which ends end of June.
Six of the nine current judges of the Supreme Court are conservatives, three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump, who tipped the balance within this institution whose role on major societal issues, such as the right to abortion or those of minorities, is crucial.
Receiving Stephen Breyer at the White House, Joe Biden hailed a “model servant of the state in these times of deep division” and announced that he would appoint a black woman to succeed him, for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court.
The American president added that he had not yet chosen who he would appoint and promised a rigorous selection process for the future candidate, whose name should be known by the end of February.
The other two progressive judges on the Supreme Court are also women, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, both appointed by Barack Obama.
(Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley and Steve Holland, French version Tangi Salaün)
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