Justice Stephen Breyer celebrated his 83rd birthday over the weekend, sustaining his position as the oldest current justice. Here’s a look back into some of his most notable decisions 1/8
A member of the court’s liberal wing, Breyer helped advance LGBT rights by joining the landmark 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage and most recently the 2020 decision protecting gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination reut.rs/37Uz521 2/8
Justice Breyer helped uphold the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, in Republican-backed challenges to its legality reut.rs/3D9kxKq 3/8
Breyer authored two high-profile rulings in 2016 and 2020 striking down Republican-backed laws in Texas and Louisiana that sought to impose restrictions on clinics and doctors who perform abortions reut.rs/3ANMTHY 4/8
In 2015, Breyer questioned the constitutionality of capital punishment, noting among other things that the death penalty has been marred by racial discrimination and politics, and that often times the sentence was imposed arbitrarily reut.rs/37SeFXo 5/8
In 2005, Breyer was the swing vote in a pair of cases questioning whether religious displays on public property violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which bars governmental endorsement of religion 6/8
Liberal activists urged Breyer to announce his retirement this year voicing their frustration that he didn’t bear in mind the precarious nature of Democratic control of the Senate, a suggestion that Breyer has shown no desire to fulfill at this point reut.rs/3srDKls 7/8
Which historical Justice Breyer decisions resonated with you the most? Let us know in the comments 👇 8/8
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