Former Supreme Court Justice to Assist in Resolving Several Cases
Justice Stephen Breyer retired in 2022.
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is set to participate in case hearings as part of panels in January 2025, as outlined in a recently released calendar.
The cases encompass an appeal from an individual convicted of assaulting an FBI agent during a home search and an appeal from a former mayor of Haiti, who was ordered to pay $15.5 million after being found liable for a homicide and the torture of two individuals.
At 86 years old, Breyer is expected to preside over cases at the circuit court’s courtroom in Boston on January 8 and January 9.
The panels will also feature four other judges, including David Barron, the chief judge of the circuit court.
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Earlier this year, Breyer indicated that he would likely still engage in hearing cases post-retirement.
Breyer served on the circuit court from December 1980 until August 1994, at which point he was appointed to the Supreme Court. He was the chief judge of the circuit court for four years.
The First Circuit hears appeals from cases originating in four states—Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island—as well as Puerto Rico. It has a total of only five judges, one of which is currently vacant, making it the smallest of the country’s 13 federal appeals courts.
Many justices on the Supreme Court either pass away while in office or opt not to hear cases after their retirement. Retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, 88, has not participated in case hearings since his retirement in 2018. The only other living retired justice, David Souter, 85, did, however, sit on panels of the First Circuit following his retirement in 2009.
