1 week Ago By Falyn Stempler
There are growing calls on the left for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 70, to step down from the U.S. Supreme Court out of fear that President-elect Donald Trump will replace her with a right-leaning justice.
Trump was able to appoint three conservative judges during his first term, which dramatically shifted the supposed-to-be apolitical court rightward, issuing controversial decisions such as Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade, presidential immunity , Chevron, a rollback on regulations , and more. After being reelected, Trump's criminal cases are already being reassessed largely thanks to the unprecedented presidential immunity ruling issued in July.
Democrats fear a repeat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of cancer in September 2020, which allowed then-President Trump to replace the champion of liberal causes with Amy Coney Barrett, now-52, who holds right-leaning views. Senators are reportedly at odds over the decision to push Sotomayor, the first Latina justice, out before Democrats lose power when Trump is inaugurated. Sotomayor is the oldest of the three remaining Democratic Party-appointed justices and suffers from Type 1 diabetes.
However, she has given no indication that she will leave yet. At the time, RBG resisted calls to step down during the Obama administration. Consequently, when she passed during the first Trump presidency, the Republican was able to replace her with a conservative judge, pushing the court rightward.
The party only has two months to make such moves before the Democratic majority has to hand over the presidency, Senate and potentially the House, to Republicans. DON'T MISS..
. Thousands of Georgia voters may be blocked by last minute Supreme Court ruling Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge noncitizens from voting in US election Seething Trump slams 'witch hunt' indictment in rant - 'unprecedent abuse' Politico's Playbook confirmed that Senators are "actively involved" in discussions about the judicial replacement. However, it reports that the time crunch is proving difficult.
“What happens if she resigns and the nominee to replace her isn’t confirmed and the next president fills the vacancy?” an unnamed Democratic senator told Playbook. "We would have to have assurances from any shaky senator that they would back a nominee in the lame duck, because what do you do if she announces she’s going to step down and then [independent West Virginia Sen. Joe] Manchin doesn’t support her and then [Republican Sens.
] Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski back off and say they’re not going to support a new nominee? Do you just rescind that letter?” asked a senior Democrat. A possible replacement has been earmarked for Washington D.C.
Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs. She has already been vetted and is viewed as a moderate by some Republican senators, which some Democrats hope offers her a better chance of being confirmed.
However, some are coming to Sotomayor's defense in refusing to leave and lobbying accusations of “ableism” and “racism.” “How dare they suggest pushing the first Latina justice—a solid progressive vote—off the bench?” “I wish it were different, but I think that Democrats need to do a better job of holding on to the fear that they now feel the next time they are in a position of power, because we can’t shut down those conversations,” Molly Coleman, executive director of the People’s Parity Project, told Playbook. “Democrats are not going to win elections forever.
They’re not going to be able to nominate Supreme Court justices indefinitely. They need to act when they have power.”.
