Sotomayor faces calls to resign

  As Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates 15 years of service, she faces growing calls to resign before the 2024 presidential election. The 69-year-old joined the court during the Obama administration, becoming the first Hispanic and Latina woman to serve in the nation’s highest court.

  The growing calls for Sotomayor to resign stem from Democrats’ fear that Sotomayor will follow in the footsteps of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg refused to resign in 2014, which would have allowed Obama to nominate a new justice and the Democrat-led Senate to approve his nomination. Six years later, Ginsburg died, which allowed the Trump administration to fill her seat with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

  However, Sotomayor does not share Ginsburg’s health struggles during her time on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg battled cancer twice and was 81 when top Democrats called for her resignation. Sotomayor is only 69, and she has not disclosed any of her health struggles to the public, except for her lifelong battle with diabetes.

  Sotomayor’s resignation would allow President Biden to nominate another Supreme Court Justice, securing a 6-3 conservative majority before a new president comes into office in four or eight years.

  While none of the Democrats on the judicial committee publicly called for Sotomayor’s retirement, members such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal emphasized the importance of justices considering the public interest.

“Justices have to make their personal decisions about their health and their level of energy, but also to keep in mind the larger national and public interest in making sure that the court looks and thinks like America,” Blumenthal said.