Ocasio-Cortez says Breyer should retire from Supreme Court

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said she thinks liberal Justice Stephen Breyer should retire at the end of the court’s term, which could allow President Biden to nominate his successor and a Democratic Senate to confirm a nominee.

Pressed by Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” on whether the 82-year-old justice should retire, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I’m inclined to say yes.”

“Just to be clear, you do think that Justice Stephen Breyer should retire at the end of this term?” Bash asked.

“You know, I — it’s something that I’d think about, but I would probably lean towards yes. But yes, you’re asking me this question, so I’ve just — I would give more thought to it but, but I’m inclined to say yes,” Ocasio-Cortez responded.

Earlier in the interview, when Bash asked Ocasio-Cortez if she agreed with Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who in April called on Breyer to retire at the end of the term, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I believe Rep. Jones has a point.”

Mondaire in April said that “there’s no question” that Breyer should retire, adding, “My goodness, have we not learned our lesson?”

The lawmaker’s comments come after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last year, which allowed former President Trump to put a third conservative justice on the bench.

“We have had very difficult experiences with making, I believe, the opposite mistake, and especially if Senate Democrats are not going to pass reforms on H.R. 1, we cannot rely solely on a wish of winning elections, particularly in the Senate, when voting rights are under attack in Georgia, Arizona and Texas, across the country,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“And if we’re not going to pass H.R. 1 with the preemptive clauses that can roll some of that voter suppression attacks back, yeah, I believe that we should protect our Supreme Court and that that should absolutely be a consideration,” she continued.