Posted on 11/08/2024 9:54:17 AM PST by Red Badger
Having spectacularly failed to get one woman elected to a top job, the Democratic Party is at odds over whether to push another woman out.
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The Democratic Party is secretly fighting over whether to try and force out Justice Sonia Sotomayor to avoid the specter of Donald Trump sending the U.S. Supreme Court further to the right.
Senators are reportedly at odds over whether to put pressure on Sotomayor—the first Latina justice—to step down while Democrats still have the power to usher in her replacement.
Although she is only 70, Sotomayor suffers from Type 1 diabetes and is the oldest of the three remaining Democratic Party-appointed justices.
There is no suggestion that she has any intention of walking off into the sunset of her own volition.
But party leaders are terrified of a repeat of the 2020 debacle when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died during the first Trump presidency after resisting overtures to step down when an Obama administration could offer a like-for-like ideological replacement. Instead, Trump’s choice of Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett sent the court lurching further to the right.
With just two months until the Democratic majority in the Senate gives way to the Republicans, it would be a tall order—and some say impossible—for Sotomayor’s successor to be nominated and confirmed.
But, according to Politico’s Playbook, “it’s a conversation members of the Senate are actively involved in.”
The chief obstacles are the timeline and the lack of senators prepared to put their heads above the parapet and suggest Sotomayor should step aside for the sake of the movement.
“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.
Playbook reported that a possible replacement has been earmarked in Washington D.C. Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs, who has already been vetted and is seen as a moderate by some Republican senators, offering her a better chance of confirmation.
Attempts among party activists last year to initiate the move were met, said Playbook, by accusations of “ableism” and “racism.”
“How dare they suggest pushing the first Latina justice—a solid progressive vote—off the bench?” was the response, said the report.
“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.”
I think you hit the nail right on the head. It’s just too risky for the Democrats.
But it sure would be a hoot if they got Sotomayor to resign, then the GOP senators gummed up the confirmation process. Result: Trump 2.0 gets to pick Sotomayor‘s replacement.
Yeah—that is what I thought.
With close monitoring and the best medical care on the planet she could last for years—any Democrats who are trying to push her to leave look vicious and mean.
That is probably because they are vicious and mean.
Actually, this is the time to start replaying all the videos of Democrats threatening to EXPAND the Court, then AGREE WITH THEM PUBLICLY, sit back and watch their heads explode...
“I doubt they could get another justice pushed through before Inauguration Day.”
Although I think the new Senate takes over on Jan 3, 2025 so that is the real deadline - not Jan 20 (Inauguration Day). Therefore the timeline is even more unlikely. Especially given there are shutdowns for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
There’s no way to get her out, nominate & confirm some one else before J20.
HAHA!! Great idea!
AOC probably considers herself to be a "wise" latina.
Surrender monkeys are still in control of the GOP side of the Senate...
All they need for their majority is a Texas RINO to be the leader...
Hawley understands that and has acted appropriately to secure the Senate for "do-nothing" RINOism...
Justice Date of Birth Appointed by Sworn in
Clarence Thomas 23 Jun 1948 Age: 76 yr 4 mo George H. W. Bush 23 Oct 1991 Served: 33 yr 0 mo
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. 1 Apr 1950 Age: 74 yr 7 mo George W. Bush 31 Jan 2006 Served: 18 yr 9 mo
Sonia Sotomayor 25 Jun 1954 Age: 70 yr 4 mo Barack Obama 8 Aug 2009 Served: 15 yr 3 mo
John G. Roberts 27 Jan 1955 Age: 69 yr 9 mo George W. Bush 29 Sep 2005 Served: 19 yr 1 mo
Brett Michael Kavanaugh 12 Feb 1965 Age: 59 yr 8 mo Donald Trump 6 Oct 2018 Served: 6 yr 1 mo
Elena Kagan 28 Apr 1960 Age: 64 yr 6 mo Barack Obama 7 Aug 2010 Served: 14 yr 3 mo
Neil McGill Gorsuch 29 Aug 1967 Age: 57 yr 2 mo Donald Trump 10 Apr 2017 Served: 7 yr 6 mo
Ketanji Brown Jackson 14 Sep 1970 Age: 54 yr 1 mo Joseph Biden, Jr. 30 Jun 2022 Served: 2 yr 4 mo
Amy Coney Barrett 28 Jan 1972 Age: 52 yr 9 mo Donald John Trump 27 Oct 2020 Served: 4 yr 0 mo
She is the third oldest.
John Roberts is young enough so he can decide to remain on the SCOTUS for another decade. But he is old enough to retire, if so, the time to do it is within the next two years.
Precisely
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