Law Trump may be appointing three Supreme Court Justices... again.

[GearSolidMetal]

Lets start with the most obvious one.

Clarence Thomas is 76, so chances are he's not going to risk pulling a Ginsburg and push his life expectancy too far and have his seat taken over by a Democrat-appointed judge. So he's guaranteed to step down sometime in the next four years.

John Roberts is turning 70 in January and may (or may not) step down in the next four years.
He was appointed by Bush41, but he's been the swing vote on many of the most controvercial decisions of the last decade and a half like upholding Obamacare & Students For Fair Admittions VS Harvard.

This is the most interesting case, because Sonya Sotomayor is 69 years old but lives with diabetes.
The opinion she should step down was published on NPR in April of this year, and basically only a few commentators in Washinton have openly stated the opinion. So its no where near the amount of people that were begging for Gingsberg to retire during Obama's second term, after she turned 80 years old and already had cancer twice.



But Washington DC is like a high school, with gossip flowing from everyone to everyone else.

And lets be clear, no one is hoping for any Supreme Court Justices to pass away.
If you are you're an asshole.
The court is already 6-3 in the conservatives favor, and that's already quite satisfying margin if you're a right-winger.

 

[Confucamus]

I think at least 1 seat is a safe bet, but it will be a conservative replacing a conservative. The split will remain 6-3, but he will be adding decades to the conservative majority. Any other spots he gets to fill would be a big bonus.

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

Sotomayor will die in office. The other two might retire but that's not going to move the needle much.

She's definitely not going to step down willingly while a Republican is in the white house.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I think at least 1 seat is a safe bet, but it will be a conservative replacing a conservative. The split will remain 6-3, but he will be adding decades to the conservative majority. Any other spots he gets to fill would be a big bonus.

If Roberts steps down as well the split will still be 6-3, but throughout his tenure he's been the swing vote that liberals have counted on for many of the biggest decisions in their favor when it was 5-4.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

Obviously they suggested she should step down if Kamala had won

 

[lowlife]

no one should be in control of or a decision maker for their entire life into old age. We need to seriously re think that. You conservatives that are happy now, imagine if it was the other way, for decades.

 

[Seano]

no one should be in control of or a decision maker for their entire life into old age. We need to seriously re think that. You conservatives that are happy now, imagine if it was the other way, for decades.

You mean the way its always been and has been fine all along?

 

[lowlife]

You mean the way its always been and has been fine all along?

No I mean some kind of term limit.

 

[Seano]

No I mean some kind of term limit.

I'm just saying it was never an issue until the court leaned conservative.

 

[lowlife]

I'm just saying it was never an issue until the court leaned conservative.

As a general principle I think term limits would be a good idea, regardless of who's "in power." A good refresh every so often is a good thing imo.

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

no one should be in control of or a decision maker for their entire life into old age. We need to seriously re think that. You conservatives that are happy now, imagine if it was the other way, for decades.

But it isn't.

 

[Sinister]

No I mean some kind of term limit.

I think the Supreme Court should only be 2 justices, maybe 4. They are barred from their sugar Daddies but paid very well...per decision. They come to a reasonable compromise that has actual logical roots in constitutionalism (not this made-up "originalism" where they get to freely interpret the framers' intentions) and they get their lavish pay. They render a sh*t decision that causes turmoil and deaths and they either dont get paid, or can be replaced easier.

Wait what am I saying? If we go by Constitutionalism the Court doesnt even have judicial review and cant give itself that power.

 

[Gamer2k4]

No I mean some kind of term limit.

His point was that the Supreme Court has been around for nearly 250 years, and, as far as I know, has never imposed term limits on its justices. And in the past, it has held a liberal majority for a substantial period of time. So we don't have to "imagine" if it was the other way, because it's happened already.

 

[lowlife]

His point was that the Supreme Court has been around for nearly 250 years, and, as far as I know, has never imposed term limits on its justices. And in the past, it has held a liberal majority for a substantial period of time. So we don't have to "imagine" if it was the other way, because it's happened already.

and I "imagine" the next time it happens, it won't look anything like what we've seen before.

 

[My Spot]

One of the older conservatives needs to step down by summer 2026.

 

[jx820]

I'm confident Thomas will retire in the next two years. If he retires now Trump can nominate a 40 year old who can swing the court right for the next 35 years and the GOP controlled Senate will rubber stamp it. For his part Thomas doesn't want or need the scrutiny he's getting and someone will give him a cushy no show job paying 10x as much as he can skim from his government job.

Roberts is less likely IMO because he's Chief Justice, he's not facing any major scandals, scrutiny, or challenges, and he seems to still be in good health physically and mentally. The only reason for him to step down is that it's an opportune time for others.

Sotomayor isn't a major health risk. Diabetes is a very manageable condition and she has access to be best healthcare imaginable. There likely isn't time for her to step down and the Senate confirm a replacement before Trump is sworn in, so she'll likely be around for a while.

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

I feel like it defeats the purpose of the Supreme Court if it isn't balanced

 

[ShadowRun]

Hopefully he appoints three that reverses woman from voting . Perhaps enables slavery again

Project2026

 

[ImCertainOfCirkunov]

Curious why Alito's name isn't being brought up ITT? Will be a few months from 79 years old at the end of Trump's term.

Given Roberts is chief justice and quite a few years younger, Alito retiring seeks much more likely.

 

[Rod1]

Thomas the Grifter will die in office, so will any liberal when a GOP guy is president.