Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is photographed at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in September 2015.
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
Updated 11:25 AM ET, Fri March 4, 2022
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is photographed at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in September 2015.
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
Justice Stephen Breyer, a consistent liberal vote on the Supreme Court, plans to retire after serving for more than two decades on the high court.
Breyer, 83, is the oldest of the nine current justices. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Before that, he served on the US Court of Appeals for nearly 15 years. He was also a former assistant prosecutor during the Watergate hearings in the 1970s.
“In his 27 years on the high court, Breyer has been a low-profile but crucial player,” wrote Joan Biskupic, a CNN legal analyst and Supreme Court biographer. “He is a solid liberal but believes in bridging differences when possible and has tried to find compromise between the right-wing majority and remaining liberals.”
Breyer is expected to stay on until the end of the term and a replacement is confirmed.
This Breyer family photo shows a young Stephen, second from left, with his father, Irving; his mother, Anne; and his younger brother, Charles.
Courtesy Breyer Family
Breyer holds his three children -— Chloe, Nell and Michael — in 1974.
Courtesy Dr. Joanna Breyer
In his early career, Breyer was a professor at Harvard Law School. This photo was taken in 1979.
Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections
Breyer, seen here in May 1993, was the chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The First Circuit includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island.
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Breyer arrives at the White House in June 1993. He was being considered for the Supreme Court opening left by retiring Justice Byron White. That seat eventually went to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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Breyer and his wife, Joanna, are seen at Boston’s Logan Airport in May 1994.
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Breyer walks with President Bill Clinton at the White House in May 1994. Breyer was chosen by Clinton to replace retiring Justice Harry Blackmun.
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Breyer and his daughter Chloe jog with Clinton in May 1994.
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Breyer meets with US Sen. Joe Biden in Biden’s office in May 1994.
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Breyer is joined by US Sen. Ted Kennedy at his confirmation hearings in July 1994. Breyer was confirmed by a vote of 84-9.
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Breyer receives an honorary degree at the Suffolk University Law School in September 1999.
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Breyer is greeted by US Secretary of State Colin Powell before President George W. Bush spoke in front of a joint session of Congress in February 2001.
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Breyer works in his office with his staff of clerks in June 2002.
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Breyer reads Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” to elementary school students who were visiting the Supreme Court in March 2003. It was National Read Across America Day.
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Breyer, right, is joined by his brother Charles, who is also a judge, at a federal courthouse in San Francisco in May 2003.
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Breyer and his fellow Supreme Court justices file out of the court building to attend the funeral of former Chief Justice William Rehnquist in September 2005. From left are justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Breyer, Clarence Thomas, David Souter, William Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Sandra Day O’Connor and John Paul Stevens.
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Breyer, second from right, attends a State of the Union address in January 2006. Joining Breyer, from left, are Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas and newly confirmed Justice Samuel Alito.
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Breyer and fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attend Samuel Alito’s ceremonial swearing-in.
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Breyer is seated between students Cole Mitguard, left, and C.J. Mourning while visiting San Francisco’s Lowell High School in February 2006. Breyer graduated from Lowell in 1955.
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Breyer walks off the field with his wife, Joanna, and their 3-year-old granddaughter, Clara Scholl, after throwing a ceremonial first pitch at Boston’s Fenway Park in July 2006.
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Breyer accepts an honorary doctorate from Belgium’s Catholic University of Louvain in March 2009.
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Breyer sits with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during a forum at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, in May 2009.
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Breyer testifies before the House Judiciary Committee’s Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee in May 2010. Breyer and fellow Justice Antonin Scalia testified to the subcommittee about the Administrative Conference of the United States.
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From left, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Breyer, Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama listen to President Barack Obama speak at a White House reception in May 2010. The reception, held for Jewish American Heritage Month, celebrated Jewish American heritage and its contributions to American culture.
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Breyer sits down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos for a “Good Morning America” interview in September 2010.
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Breyer speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, in October 2010.
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Breyer and his wife, Joanna, arrive at the White House for a state dinner honoring Chinese President Hu Jintao in January 2011.
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President Barack Obama reads from his book, “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters,” as Breyer and some of his family members visit the White House Oval Office in May 2011. Joining Breyer, from left, are his wife, Joanna; his grandson Eli; and his daughter Nell.
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Breyer walks with Britain’s Prince Charles as Charles visited the Supreme Court in May 2011.
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Breyer and fellow Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia confer in October 2011 before testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Considering the Role of Judges Under the Constitution of the United States.”
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Breyer greets members of the military and their families at a Washington Nationals baseball game in June 2013.
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Vice President Joe Biden greets Breyer as he arrives at the funeral services for Ben Bradlee, the former editor of the Washington Post, in October 2014.
Bill O’Leary/AP
Breyer listens during a meeting of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee in March 2015.
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Breyer appears on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert in September 2015.
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President Donald Trump greets Breyer at his State of the Union address in January 2018.
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Breyer, second from left, attends the State of the Union address in January 2018. With Breyer, from left, are Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch.
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Breyer and his wife, Joanna, are seated together for a private ceremony honoring the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September 2020. Seated from left are Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Breyers, former Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Maureen Scalia, the wife of late Justice Antonin Scalia.
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Members of the US Supreme Court pose for a group photo in Washington, DC, in April 2021. Seated from left are Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. Standing behind them, from left, are Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and newest Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
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Breyer holds up a copy of the Constitution as he announces his retirement alongside President Joe Biden during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in January.
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Breyer speaks during an event at the Library of Congress for the 2022 Supreme Court Fellows Program in February in Washington, DC.
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Breyer reacts while being honored by Biden and applauded by his fellow justices and other audience members during Biden’s first State of the Union.
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