WASHINGTON (1010 WINS) -- Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will retire this year after more than 27 years on the court, two sources told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Breyer, 83, will step down at the end of the current term, according to NBC News, which first reported on his plans. He has not made a formal announcement.
The retirement paves the way for President Joe Biden to nominate a justice to the court's liberal wing.
It will be Biden's first Supreme Court pick. He has pledged to name the first Black woman to the high court.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Biden's nominee will "receive a prompt hearing" in the Senate Judiciary Committee and "will be considered and confirmed by the full United States Senate with all deliberate speed."
Among the names being circulated as potential nominees are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, prominent civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill and U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs, whom Biden has nominated to be an appeals court judge.
Former President Donald Trump appointed three justices, moving the Supreme Court further to the right; it currently has a 6-to-3 conservative majority.
Breyer was appointed by former President Bill Clinton and has served on the court since 1994. He previously resisted calls to retire during former President Barack Obama's time in office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
