Courts

It’s Time For Stephen Breyer To Retire

This is not the time to gamble on a Supreme Court seat.

Justice Stephen Breyer (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was widely, and deservedly, criticized for her refusal to retire from the Supreme Court at a time when a Democratic president could have chosen her replacement.

Justice Stephen Breyer is making a similar and arguably even more egregious mistake. …

He should announce his retirement immediately, effective upon the confirmation of his successor. For him to continue to make the same gamble that Justice Ginsburg made and lost runs the risk of tainting his legacy as a justice and has the potential to be an anti-democratic disaster for the nation as a whole.

— Professor Paul Campos of the University of Colorado School of Law, demanding that Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, retire from the Supreme Court as soon as possible, in a New York Times piece.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.