it is clear that the court s future is his main reason for leaving. he s talked repeatedly about the importance of the integrity of the court, and the danger of public faith in the court eroding if it became too political. but there is probably some political calculation in this decision. justice breyer will stay on for at least the end of the term, which ends in june, because, of course, there is still a lot of work for the court to do. huge issues are pending, including the fate of abortion rights and gun rights. but now the real work begins at the white house, presumably they have been vetting candidates, they eventually have to choose a successor for justice breyer. president biden did say on the campaign trail he would choose a black female as his supreme court pick. there are several names at the forefront of that list, including 51-year-old ketanji brown jackson. she s currently on the d.c. circuit court of appeals. also 45-year-old leondra kruger who sonis on the california sup