After 27 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, CNN and MSNBC reported on Wednesday.
The retirement is expected to occur at the end of the current term in June.
President Joe Biden has the opportunity to begin confirmation before Breyer officially leaves the bench, as occurred with the Sotomayor and Kagan nominations during the Obama administration.
The timing is expected to allow confirmation by a Senate controlled by Democrats.
"It has always been the decision of any Supreme Court Justice if and when they decide to retire, and how they want to announce it, and that remains the case today," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of the reporting.
Biden has vowed to nominate a Black woman. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said favorite candidates to be nominated include Judge Kantanji Brown Jackson and Leondra Kruger.
ICYMI: Imminent Supreme Court retirement?\n\nFavorites: Kantanji Brown Jackson (D.C. Cir.), Leondra Kruger (Calif. Sup. Ct.). Longshot: VP Kamala Harris. Stay tuned to \n@CNN for news. #SCOTUS— Jeffrey Toobin (@Jeffrey Toobin) 1643216707
