Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has no plans to retire, sources close to her confirm, despite some progressive voices urging her to step down to allow President Joe Biden to name a successor before the incoming administration takes office.
“She’s in great health, and the court needs her now more than ever,” a source close to Sotomayor stated, underscoring her commitment to her role as the most senior liberal justice on the current conservative-leaning court.
While some progressives argue that Sotomayor should retire to secure a liberal successor, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders voiced opposition to this idea, saying on Meet the Press, “I don’t think it’s sensible.”
The process of confirming a Supreme Court nominee is lengthy, and with the Senate set to shift to GOP control in January, securing a timely confirmation is unlikely.
At 70, Sotomayor continues to be active on the bench and in public. Living with type 1 diabetes, she remains an engaged questioner during oral arguments and has recently expressed her frustrations with the court’s direction. At Harvard in May, she shared how some court decisions affect her emotionally, stating, “I have to get up the next morning and keep on fighting.”