Stephen Breyer

Details

Birth

August 15, 1938 · San Francisco, California

Death

Living

Law school

harvard university

Prior experience

U.s. court of appeals judge

Biography

Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1994 to 2022. Born in San Francisco, California, Breyer graduated from Stanford University in 1959 and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Magdalen College, Oxford. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1964, where he later served as a professor and lecturer. Prior to his judicial career, Breyer worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, served as an assistant special prosecutor during the Watergate investigation, and held various positions in government, including chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Jimmy Carter appointed Breyer to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in 1980, where he served as chief judge from 1990 to 1994. President Bill Clinton nominated him to the Supreme Court in 1994, and he was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 87-9. Breyer is known for his pragmatic judicial philosophy, emphasizing the practical consequences of legal decisions and advocating for a "living Constitution" approach that considers contemporary circumstances. His notable majority opinions include cases involving administrative law, regulatory authority, and environmental protection. He frequently authored dissents in cases involving the death penalty, campaign finance, and voting rights. Breyer announced his retirement in January 2022, effective upon the confirmation of his successor, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. His judicial legacy is characterized by his scholarly approach to the law, his expertise in administrative and regulatory matters, and his commitment to interpreting the Constitution in light of its underlying democratic purposes.

Notable opinions

• United States v. Lopez
• Van Orden v. Perry