Silver State Times

After 28 years, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement as of Jan 26, paving the way for a Democratic president's nomination to be the first one confirmed since the mid-1990s. 

During a White House ceremony, President Joe Biden showed gratitude for Breyer's time on the court, stating that he was a model public servant during a great division in the country.

"I want to thank Justice Breyer for his decades of service on our nation's highest court," Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said in a Jan. 26 statement. "From upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act to protecting reproductive freedoms and civil rights, he has delivered consequential rulings and served honorably and with integrity."

Breyer has served on the Supreme Court since 1994. He was appointed by Bill Clinton and the Senate later confirmed his nomination. 

While campaigning for president, Biden promised to nominate a black woman to the nation's highest court should the opportunity arise. 

"The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity," Biden said, CNN reported Feb. 2. "And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It's long overdue, in my view. I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment."

The president has said he intends to make a nomination by the end of February. 

Biden's appointment will not change the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court. Biden's pick would replace a liberal justice with a liberal justice. There are six conservative and three liberal justices on the Supreme Court. 

"I look forward to fully vetting President Biden's nominee to fill this vacancy, and I will make sure that the nominee for this lifetime appointment has the experience and temperament needed for this important role," Rosen said.