
Instead, the 83-year-old retired judge spoke extensively about the rule of law and emphasized that he remains generally optimistic.
“I think over long periods of time we have in America a system that has been modified – with its flaws and its wrong way from time to time,” he said.
“But overall, I’m still optimistic,” Breyer added.
Breyer did not mention the series of losses that liberals suffered at the end of the last period in terms of abortion, gun rights, the environment and religious freedom. Instead, addressing an audience of lawyers attending the American Bar Association conference in Chicago, he reiterated tensions from earlier speeches and told the audience that the work of the American Bar Association and lawyers in general was important.
He said judges “need help from outside,” even if they think they don’t.
“This was not a country full of problems that you know,” Breyer told the visiting judge.
“There was a civil war, there was slavery, 80 years of segregation in Jim Crow,” Breyer said in a broad talk. “But we’re gradually trying… If this generation doesn’t do it, the next generation might.”
Breyer started his talk with a joke after he was praised for writing more than 500 opinions from the bench. “I have one question about your introduction,” he said. “I said I wrote 525 reviews – but why is the world in such a mess?” He said to laugh.