Additional Coverage:
- Sen. Bernie Sanders says he does not support urging Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down (nbcnews.com)
Senator Bernie Sanders has expressed opposition to calls for Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down from the Supreme Court.
Some Democrats have reportedly considered urging Sotomayor to resign while President Biden is still in office, allowing him to appoint a liberal replacement.
However, Sanders believes this is unwise, stating that he has heard some discussions on the matter but does not endorse them.
Behind-the-scenes discussions among Democrats have centered around the potential for Biden to nominate a liberal justice before Republicans take control of the Senate in January.
If Sotomayor were to retire during Trump’s presidency, she would likely be replaced by a conservative, further shifting the court’s balance to the right.
Democrats faced a similar situation during President Obama’s second term, when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg chose not to step down. Her subsequent death in 2020 led to the appointment of the conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.