Many on the left had quietly hoped that Justice Stephen Breyer would retire in 2021, opening up a seat on the Supreme Court for President Biden to fill — but now some are waging a public campaign to pressure the liberal stalwart to step down.

The calls come in the wake of a speech Breyer gave to Harvard Law School students and alumni earlier this week when he warned that court packing – a term for adding seats to the Supreme Court to change its political makeup – could harm the rule of law in the U.S.

"Proposals have been recently made to increase the number of Supreme Court justices. I'm sure that others will discuss related political arguments," he said. "This lecture reflects my own effort to be certain that those who are going to debate these questions ... also consider an important institutional point. Consider it. Namely, how would court packing reflect and affect the rule of law itself?"

Breyer said that he aimed "to make those whose initial instincts may favor important structural change, or other similar institutional changes, such as forms of court packing, think long and hard before they embody those changes in law."



Some on the left reacted negatively to Breyer's comments. Demand Justice, a liberal group dedicated to making the federal courts more left-leaning, responded by doubling down on its calls to "Expand the Supreme Court."

Days later, Demand Justice is further lashing out at Breyer, who for decades has sided with left-leaning litigants more often than not.

"Breyer, retire," a billboard truck paid for by Demand Justice, that was driving around Capitol Hill Friday, reads. "Don't risk your legacy."

Another side of the truck reads, "It's time for Black woman Supreme Court justice. There's no time to waste."

The group elaborated in a tweet.



More of the article:

Liberals ramp up calls for Supreme Court Justice Breyer to retire after he panned court packing in speech | Fox News