Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire, paving the way for Biden pick

Washington — Justice Stephen Breyer, the senior member of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, plans to retire after nearly 28 years on the bench, giving President Biden the opportunity to make his first appointment to the nation's highest court, one that is poised to be historic.

Multiple sources, including two White House officials and a senior Democratic congressional staffer, confirmed Breyer's intention to step down to CBS News. The move comes after a months-long campaign from progressives that began after Mr. Biden assumed office urging him to retire and allow the president to name a successor while Democrats hold a slim, and fragile, majority in the Senate. 

While Breyer's retirement will not alter the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court, as Breyer is likely to be replaced by a fellow liberal jurist, it does position Mr. Biden to name a new justice who can serve for decades if confirmed by the Senate.