Sen. Richard Blumenthal has subtly hinted at the possibility of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stepping down to allow the current Democratic majority to choose a successor.
During an interview with NBC News’ Sahil Kapur on Wednesday, Mr. Blumenthal, while expressing admiration for Justice Sotomayor, 69, suggested she take into account the strategic consideration of retirement timing — just in case President Biden loses in November.
The senator alluded to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who faced similar calls to retire during President Obama’s term but chose to remain on the bench. Justice Ginsburg passed away in 2020, and her replacement was nominated by President Trump.
“I’m very respectful of Justice Sotomayor,” said Mr. Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat. “I have great admiration for her. But I think she really has to weigh the competing factors. We should learn a lesson. And it’s not like there’s any mystery here about what the lesson should be. The old saying — graveyards are full of indispensable people, ourselves in this body included.”
The comments came amid the broader conversation about the lifetime appointments of Supreme Court justices and the timing of their departures, which can significantly impact the court’s composition and the broader political landscape.
Mehdi Hasan made the argument for the justice to retire in a recent column penned for The Guardian. “Would we rather Biden replace Sotomayor with a centrist in 2024 … or Trump replace her with a far-right Federalist Society goon in 2025?”
Correction: In a previous version of the story, the attribution in the last paragraph was incorrect. Mehdi Hasan wrote the column for The Guardian. The story has been updated with the correct attribution.
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