(AP) — Liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, giving President Joe Biden an opening he has pledged to fill by naming the first Black woman to the high court. The 83-year-old Breyer has been a pragmatic force on a court that has grown increasingly conservative. His departure won’t change the 6-3 conservative advantage on the court, since his replacement will be nominated and almost certainly confirmed by a Senate where Democrats have the slimmest majority. But nomination of a Black woman could help Biden politically among Black and other critics who fault him for failing to persuade the Senate to pass legislation shoring up voting rights that are being restricted in a number of Republican-led states.

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