Stephen Breyer

At a White House event with Breyer, President Biden said it was his intention is to name a nominee to replace him by the end of February.

Behind the scenes, Breyer, 83, pushed and prodded his fellow justices for consensus. His decision gives President Biden his first opportunity to name a new justice to the court.

Friday's announcement comes amid a debate over the composition of the nine-member court that now has a 6-3 conservative majority.

The court's 5-to-3 ruling came in the case of a man who had lived in the U.S. for 25 years but who had used a fake Social Security card to get a job as a janitor.