Amid speculation about his retirement plans, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer kept his cards close to the vest on Sunday.
Reiterating that he did not intend to die while on the bench, the oldest member of the highest court in the land played down concerns about retiring while there is a Democrat in the White House and Democrats control the Senate.
“There are many considerations,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
“They’re entitled to their opinion,” Breyer said of liberals like Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota who have called on him to step down while President Biden is in office.
Breyer, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, said he hopes to be remembered for impartiality and doing his best.
“I’m there for everybody. I’m not just there for the Democrats. I’m not just there for the Republicans,” he said. “And I’m not just there because the president was a Democrat who appointed me. So [it’s] a very great privilege to be in that job, and part of it is to remember that you’re there for everyone.
“They won’t like what you say half the time or more, but you’re still there for them,” he said. “And that’s the privilege of the job, in a way. You have to give your all and you have to work as hard as you can. So you see, I think it’s important that we have trust.”
Asked how he wanted to be remembered, the 83-year-old cited one of his legendary predecessors.
“I liked very much ... what Thurgood Marshall said,” said Breyer, who is considered the leader of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing.
“They said, ‘Well, what do you want on your tombstone?’ And he said, ‘He did his best.’ That’s it.”
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