’Who am I to tell somebody to retire?’ SC’s Clyburn says of Supreme Court’s Breyer
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Thursday he doesn’t support calls asking U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire to ensure he’s replaced by a liberal judge.
Speaking virtually to reporters, the South Carolina congressman said he and Breyer are close in age. Clyburn is 80 and Breyer is 82.
“Who am I to tell somebody to retire?” Clyburn said. “I feel fine. I’m still able to play 18 holes in the morning, 18 holes in the afternoon and have a little libations for lunch.”
Progressives hope Breyer will step down now that the Supreme Court’s term has ended.
Retiring now would allow President Joe Biden to appoint a liberal justice while Democrats control the evenly divided U.S. Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris being the tie-breaking vote.
Clyburn’s comments came after the high court upheld Arizona’s voting restrictions in a 6-3 decision, ruling they don’t violate the Voting Rights Act.
“It was no surprise to us. A 6-3 decision is no surprise to us,” Clyburn said. “It demonstrates the consequences of elections.”
The decision also comes as Democrats have pushed the For the People Act as a counter to voting restrictions enacted in different states and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which aims to restore provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Clyburn said the decision means parties will have to work harder to make sure people can vote.
“When the world gives you lemons, you make lemonade. The court gave us a lemon, we’re going to work to make lemonade out of it,” Clyburn said. “We’re going to do what is necessary to get people registered and get people voting. Hopefully we’ll get the country on track when it comes to an unfettered vote.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 3:19 PM.
