White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment on details behind the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer during a press conference Thursday.
Asked when the president was made aware of Breyer's decision to retire, Psaki said only that the administration had no influence over his choice.
"This was Justice Breyer's decision to make, on his own timeline and through his own conditions he determined," Psaki said of Breyer's retirement.
WHO COULD REPLACE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER?
"So we aren't going to lay out more specifics from here in terms of when the president was aware," Psaki concluded.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer officially notified President Biden on Thursday of his intent to resign at the end of the court’s current term. In a letter dated Jan. 27, Breyer specifically expressed his desire to have his successor lined up before he steps down.
However, Breyer’s retirement plans were leaked to the public on Wednesday, reportedly upsetting the justice. How long Breyer's decision was known privately is not known.
Biden spoke Thursday afternoon, thanking Breyer and praising him as an "exemplary justice," before addressing the matter of his replacement.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that the Senate will move quickly on Biden's nominee to replace Breyer – and that it will treat that person fairly.
"The Senate will have a fair process that moves quickly so we can confirm President Biden’s nominee to fill Justice Breyer’s seat as soon as possible," Schumer said.
Biden said earlier Thursday that he will select his nominee by the end of February. That means, if the Senate moves as quickly as Schumer says it will, Breyer's replacement could be confirmed by the end of the spring.
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