Should Sonia Sotomayor retire from the Supreme Court?

Democrats worry about repeating the history of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Illustration of Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the US Supreme Court
Democrats could go more than a decade before winning back control of the White House and Senate
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / AP / Getty Images)

Donald Trump gets to make Supreme Court appointments for the next four years. That has some Democrats asking — quietly — if Justice Sonia Sotomayor should step down while President Joe Biden can still name a replacement.

The conversation is "blowing up largely outside of public view," said Politico. But Sotomayor, a liberal justice, is 70 years old and has diabetes. Democrats still rue Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's refusal to give up her seat during Barack Obama's presidency — which allowed Trump to appoint Amy Coney Barrett as Ginsburg's replacement after she died. Progressives don't want to see history repeat itself. Democrats "need to act when they have power," said Molly Coleman, executive director of the People's Parity Project.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.