Justice Sonia Sotomayor has refused calls to step down from the Supreme Court to allow the Democrats to appoint a liberal replacement before Trump takes office.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Sotomayor “has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court.”
“This is no time to lose her important voice on the court,” a person close to Sotomayor said.
“She just turned 70 and takes better care of herself than anyone I know.”
It was reported last week, in the wake of Donald Trump’s stunning election win, that senior Democrats were desperately considering whether to force Sotomayor to step down before Trump’s inauguration.
Because of her age and a history of health issues including diabetes, it’s believed Sotomayor could end up stepping down during Trump’s second term.
The liberal media has lined up behind calls for the Justice to retire now.
“This would probably be a good day for Sotomayor to retire,” David Dayen, executive editor of the liberal American Prospect magazine, Tweeted the day after the election. Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan drew attention to her diabetes and reproduced an op-ed he wrote in April, claiming she should stand down.
It’s rumoured that Senate Democrats were tapping DC Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs to replace Sotomayor. Childs was on Joe Biden’s Supreme Court short list.
Sotomayor was appointed by President Obama in 2009, from a position of the US Court of Appeals. She is considered to be the leader of the Supreme Court’s minority liberal bloc.
As the Gateway Pundit notes, there is also speculation that conservative Justices Thomas and Alito might be persuaded to step down before the 2026 midterms, to make way for younger appointments.