Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has no plans to retire just yet, despite the panicked demands of those on the left.
In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, some on the left have floated the retirement talk for the 70-year-old Sotomayor in order to avoid repeating the 2020 meltdown when then-President Trump nominated Justice Amy Coney Barrett following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Reports circulated that there was an effort to get Sotomayor, who was nominated by then-President Barack Obama in 2009, to step aside after Trump’s epic election win.
The day after the election, David Dayen, executive editor of the liberal American Prospect magazine, wrote on X: “This would probably be a good day for Sotomayor to retire.”
This would probably be a good day for Sotomayor to retire
— David Dayen (@ddayen) November 6, 2024
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan resurrected his op-ed from April on why “Sotomayor needs to retire.”
“For the sake of all of us, Sonia Sotomayor needs to retire from the US Supreme Court”
Sadly this piece of mine from April (!) has aged pretty well, actually. ♂️https://t.co/50YinLa82p
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) November 10, 2024
But the justice reportedly will stay on according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
“’This is no time to lose her important voice on the court. She just turned 70 and takes better care of herself than anyone I know,’ said one person close to the justice, suggesting that progressives turn their attention to other ways of safeguarding the Constitution after President-elect Donald Trump takes office,” the report noted.
One voice on the left who doesn’t think it prudent for Sotomayor to retire before Trump takes office in January is Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The Vermont Independent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he doesn’t “think that’s the sensible approach.”
“Some Democrats behind the scenes quietly talking about the possibility should Justice Sotomayor step down to allow President Biden to appoint someone who’s younger. She’s only 70 years old. Is that something that you would support? Do you think she should step down?” asked NBC’s Kristen Welker.
“No, I don’t,” Sanders replied simply, promoting Welker to the press, “Have you heard any talk of this?”
“A little bit, yes,” Sanders said with little elaboration. “I don’t think it’s a sensible approach.”
WATCH: Sen. Bernie Sanders says the idea that Justice Sotomayor should step down so President Biden can appoint someone younger before he leaves office is not a “sensible approach.”@kwelkernbc: “Have you heard any talk of this?”@BernieSanders: “A little bit, yes.” pic.twitter.com/jwVIvBmvym
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 10, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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