Former Associate Justice Stephen Breyer is joining the Harvard University Law School faculty, following his resignation from the Supreme Court bench in June, according to a statement by the school.
“He joins a group of faculty who have become HLS faculty members after illustrious legal careers in the profession and bring deep expertise and excellence to the shared work of this community,” Harvard announced in a statement.
Breyer sent a letter to President Joe Biden in June announcing that he would retire, “from active service … effective on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at noon.” Biden’s nominee, Kentaji Brown Jackson was sworn in the same day to replace him. (RELATED: Former Prosecutor Condemns Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Silence On Protests At Justices’ Homes)
Breyer graduated from Harvard Law School in 1964, and worked on the faculty there from 1967 to 1980.
“Justice Breyer is a historic jurist and a world-class legal scholar who also has a distinguished history as a member of this faculty,” John F. Manning, a 1985 graduate and the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean Professor of Law said. “I am thrilled to welcome him home to Harvard Law School. His brilliance, experience, collegiality, openness, and intellectual inquisitiveness will deeply enrich our community and advance our mission of teaching, scholarship, and service.”
Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will teach seminars and reading groups, write, and produce scholarship https://t.co/RmjaBvBRcR
— Harvard Law School (@Harvard_Law) July 15, 2022
“Justice Breyer will teach seminars and reading groups, continue to write books and produce scholarship, and participate in the intellectual life of the school and in the broader Harvard community,” the school said.
Professor Cass Sunstein said he was “honored” to be teaching a seminar with the former justice in the fall semester.
“From his pioneering work on deregulation to his ongoing writings about judicial method, Justice Breyer has been one of the most influential contributors to American law and policy for decades,” Dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow said.