Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on Wednesday (January 26) announced his plan to retire from the bench, according to NBC News.

With his retirement, President Joe Biden now has an opportunity to get in a nomination before the midterm elections. While on the campaign trail for the presidency, Biden vowed to nominate a Black woman to the nation's highest court.

The 83-year-old has served on the Supreme Court since 1994 after being nominated by then-President Bill Clinton. Throughout his time, he has generally been associated with the liberal wing of the high court.

There were previous calls for Breyer to retire after Biden took office so that the Democratic-controlled chambers could pass along Biden's nominations.

To fulfill his potentially history-making promise, Biden would generally be choosing a nominee from the federal court of appeals. Since taking office, Biden has appointed the most Black women to the US Court of Appeals than any other president.

Here's who could potentially pick:

Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, J. Michelle Childs, Wilhemina Wright, Eunice Lee, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, former NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill.

Stacey Abrams' younger sister, US District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner has also served on a federal bench since being nominated in 2014 by former President Barack Obama.

Podcasts