Lawmakers say speculation that Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are considering retirement make the 2024 presidential election outcome more crucial, The Hill reported.
The Court is made up of nine justices, with a 6-3 conservative majority, after former President Donald Trump filled three vacancies: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. They helped form the majority to overrule Roe v. Wade in June 2022, allowing states to outlaw abortion.
"It's critical. President Biden, who I feel confident will be reelected, needs to be able to put more judges on the bench, federal judges, including Supreme Court. It is absolutely critical that the Senate remain in Democratic hands," Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who will retire at the end of next year, told the Hill.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told the Hill that the next president will likely "have a chance to appoint another member of the court. ... I expect that you'd see, over the course between now and the end of the next [presidential] term, probably another retirement or two."
Neither Alito or Thomas has said he is mulling retirement. Thomas, who has served on the Court for nearly 32 years, is the oldest justice on the Court at 75. Alito, who has served since 2006, is 73.
"I do think that the 2024 election is important," said Brian Fallon, co-founder and executive director of left-wing judicial advocacy group Demand Justice. "I do think Alito and Thomas will be getting up there in age, and there's quite a real possibility that replacements for them could be in order in the next four-year presidential window.
"It's hugely important to win the upcoming election, and I think the court will be more salient of an issue than ever. It's important to win the next election because if there is going be an opportunity to replace a Thomas or Alito, you don't want to miss it by not winning a Senate race here or there and preventing us from filling a seat.
"But we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that the court's balance is going to be shifted anytime soon just by winning a few elections."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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