Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding the announced retirement of Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
“I congratulate Justice Breyer on his long, distinguished service to our country. He is widely respected for good reason, and I’ve personally held him in high esteem throughout his service on the court.
“I supported his confirmation to the Supreme Court in 1994 alongside a vast majority of my colleagues. Justice Breyer’s successor should be an individual within the legal mainstream who can receive similar broad, bipartisan support. Such a candidate will preserve faith in the court, and reflect Americans’ will when they elected an evenly divided Senate.”
Grassley, who is also president pro tempore emeritus of the U.S. Senate, has participated in the confirmation of every sitting Supreme Court Justice and presided over the confirmation of two justices as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
