Democrat U.S. senators and other party members are mulling convincing Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to resign so President Joe Biden can replace her with another leftist judge before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
The 70-year-old Sotomayor, nominated by then-President Barack Obama in 2009, is the oldest Democrat-appointed justice on the court.
She’s also a life-long diabetic. In 2018, paramedics were called to her home after the justice suffered “symptoms of low blood sugar.”
Lawmakers long have known about Sotomayor’s health issues, but as with Biden’s cognitive issues, Democrats refrained from admitting potential problems caused by the condition.
Now, Democrats see Sotomayor’s situation as a way to seat someone on the high court before Trump takes office with Republicans in control of the Senate. The GOP won a majority in the chamber during Tuesday’s elections.
A Democrat senator told Politico that the topic has been discussed by members, who realize making an attempt to replace Sotomayor would be “a risky play,” according to the outlet.