WOMEN’S MARCH COMMENDS JUSTICE BREYER FOR DECISION TO RETIRE

Contact: press@womensmarch.com

Amarillo, TX – Today, Women’s March Executive Director Rachel O’Leary Carmona released the following statement commending Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer for his decision to retire at the end of this term and before the midterm elections in 2022:  “For almost a year, we at Women’s March have been calling on Justice Steven Breyer to step down from the Supreme Court. Our reasoning is simple: The stakes are too high to risk leaving his replacement—and the fate of almost everything our organization believes in and fights for—in the hands of Mitch McConnell. 

“Today, Justice Breyer made the right and righteous decision. In doing so, he has cemented his legacy as a champion for women, a legacy he has built and earned while ardently pursuing equal justice under the law for over 27 years on the Court. With this final act, he is ensuring that the hard-fought progress he has helped women in this country secure isn’t lost—at least not without a fight. We are grateful for his decades of service. 

“With so much on the line—including the reversal of Roe v. Wade and the end of abortion as we know it—President Biden and Senate Democrats must now act swiftly to nominate and confirm his replacement. In fact, there’s no reason not to match the speedy precedent set by President Trump’s nomination of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. With the necessary political will, Democrats can and should confirm Breyer’s replacement no more than 30 days after he officially steps down at the end of the term. 

“And while there are many qualified candidates who are ready for the job, we are eager to see President Biden make good on his promise to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Appellate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, with an astounding resume that includes experience as a public defender, has our vote—and she should have the vote of any Senator who makes decisions on the merits and not the media cycles.

“But one Justice confirmed by President Biden—as brilliant, prepared, and progressive as she may be—does little to address the actual problem currently facing the Supreme Court, and the women in this country who are impacted by its decisions: The majority was stolen by Republicans, and will still be dominated by six hyper-conservative, hyper-partisan justices intent on rolling back our rights. To actually upend this status quo, we must replace Justice Breyer not with one person but with five. 

“We must expand the Court.”