about two things, his health and the court. we don t know about any issues with his health, so presumably this is all about the court, preserving the status of the court, despite the politics that are at play here. justice stephen breyer has repeatedly talked in speeches about preserving the integrity of the court, keeping politics out of the court. not letting politics stain the public reputation of the court. but now, despite or possibly because of those progressive calls for him to step down, the justice will retire. and, of course, justice stephen breyer knows all about the political implications of his position especially after the sudden death of ruth bader ginsburg that gave that third nominee to donald trump, now making it a solidly 6-3 conservative court. justice breyer served as chief counsel in the 70s to the senate judiciary committee. he helped investigate watergate,
breaking news surprise this hour from the supreme court of the united states. the leading liberal justice, stephen breyer, plans to retire. his decision will shape the arc of president biden s second year giving the supreme court pick in the middle of a mid-term election fight. justice breyer has said he will serve out his term, and this is important, he will stay on the bench until his successor is in place. let s get more insights from our reporters and analysts beginning with kaitlan collins. reporter: it s a massive moment for president biden because this is the opportunity that every president wants, not every president gets. and, of course, biden s predecessor had three of the opportunities to put a justice on the supreme court and now president biden will have the same with this announcement from justice breyer and, of course, as a candidate on the campaign trail to get to the white house biden pledged to nominate the first black woman to the supreme court. and so, of course,
woman, someone with different someone who will bring more diversity to the court, that s another opportunity today s news presents. without a doubt. the president has been crystal clear he believes his first pick would be a black woman. stand by. we are continuing our breaking news coverage. justice stephen breyer, cnn has been told, is retiring from the court. we are told that by our wolf blitzer. let s get up to capitol hill and manu raju. wow, just in the sense we know this is a dicey mid-term election year to begin with. now you have a supreme court confirmation fight. steve notes republicans are aware this will not change the balance of the court. so maybe it s not quite the energy and the fury, but mitch mcconnell relishes these moments. democrats will recoil at my saying it that way. but lay out the landscape for us. reporter: this will be a huge fight out of the ideological balance of the court and the president has a very good chance of getting his nomination