5 things to know Thursday

Justice Breyer to retire from Supreme Court; Ketanji Brown Jackson to make history

Associate Justice Stephen Breyer said his retirement from the Supreme Court will be effective Thursday after the court issues its final set of rulings for this term. In January, Breyer informed Biden that he would step down at the end of the term in the summer if his replacement was confirmed by the Senate. Breyer is one of three justices of the court’s liberal wing, who dissented from a ruling last week that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion established by the court in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Ketanji Brown Jackson, a former public defender who rose to become a judge on a powerful federal appeals court, will make history when she is sworn in early Thursday afternoon as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the 116th justice overall. She will be joining three women, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett — the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast: