President Joe Biden's search for a nominee to the Supreme Court isn't just limited by credentials, race and gender — youth is particularly prized.
Balancing age and experience, recent presidents have picked nominees in their late 40s and 50s, with 60 generally seen as the very upper end of the range. All three of Biden's most talked-about potential nominees are in that age window, but there's also a decade between the youngest and oldest.
Breyer's fellow Clinton nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated at 60 and served until her death in 2020 at 87. He chose Clarence Thomas, then 43. No nominee since has been younger. Last year, Thomas marked 30 years on the bench. The Supreme Court's youngest-ever nominee was 32-year-old Joseph Story, who joined the court in 1812 and served for more than 30 years.
For Biden, age may be of particular significance. While Trump appointed three justices, Biden is unlikely to be able to leave the same stamp on the court, even if he runs for and wins a second term. After Breyer, the court's two oldest members — Thomas, 73, and Alito, 71 — are conservatives unlikely to retire during a Democratic administration. The court's remaining liberals, Sotomayor and Kagan, are 67 and 61 and could still serve at least a decade longer or more.
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