How old is Sonia Sotomayor? Internet calls for Supreme Court justice to retire so that Biden can nominate Kamala Harris to the seat
Several netizens have asked Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire after Donald Trump was declared the 47th President of the United States on November 6.
Sonia Sotomayor is 70 years old (born on June 25, 1954) and is the first woman of color, third woman, and first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. She was first appointed by former Democrat President Barack Obama in 2009. She is currently the oldest Democrat-appointed Supreme Court Justice with a 6-3 conservative supermajority.
The demand for her retirement stems from the fact that the soon-to-be President Donald Trump could appoint a conservative-leaning Justice, further tipping the Supreme Court to the right.
Sotomayor's retirement would facilitate President Joe Biden to elect a new Justice with the help of a Democrat-majority Senate during the lame-duck session, i.e., the final months of his term before a new Congress is convened in early January.
Many Democrats have also called for Kamala Harris to be elected as the Sotomayor's replacement after her retirement.
"Want to blow Republicans’ minds? Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor retires. President Biden appoints Kamala Harris to Sotomayor’s vacancy with a lame-duck Democratic senate majority. Supreme Court Justice Kamala Harris," one Kamala Harris fan page wrote.
"Sonia Sotomayor has got to be paying extra close attention to her blood sugar levels these days," an X user opined.
"This would probably be a good day for Sotomayor to retire," another netizen declared.
However, some people claimed that Joe Biden would not elect Kamala Harris.
"Liberals are now saying Sonia Sotomayor should retire now so Biden can appoint Kamala to the Surpeme Court. Biden absolutely hates Kamala. That will never happen. Also, blowing Willie Brown doesn’t qualify one to sit on the Supreme Court," one netizen claimed.
"hahaha... To think Biden would reward her with the Supreme Court is laughable," another agreed.
"No way in hell would they ever put Kamala up for SCOTUS. Can you imagine those confirmation hearings? The GOP will dig deep into her prosecutorial record and expose how few cases she actually tried," one user claimed.
Some other reactions on X are as follows:
"If Sonia Sotomayor truly has been sick for 4 years and doesn’t find a replacement before Trump gets in office, it will cap off a horrific decade of governance by the democrats," one user opined.
"Sonia Sotomayor should announce her resignation TODAY. Biden can nominate whoever she chooses to replace her and Democrats can ram them through the Senate during the lame duck. I’m being so f**king serious," another person inferred on X.
"President is now a king above the law" — When Sonia Sotomayor dissented against the President's immunity ruling
On Monday, July 1, the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents couldn't be prosecuted for their "official acts" during their tenure, thereby providing them some immunity from criminal prosecution. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor described the decision as a means to make the President a "king above the law."
During his first tenure as President, Donald Trump was accused of overseeing efforts to subvert the 2020 election. The charges included two counts of conspiring to obstruct election results certification, disenfranchise voters, and defrauding the government.
The July ruling provided Donald Trump immunity against the 2020 election subversion case and prevented any prospect of a trial before November 2024, i.e., the election month.
In a statement of dissent, Sotomayor wrote (via The Guardian):
“Today’s decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the Presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law.”
According to the 70-year-old, the ruling would facilitate future Presidents to commit blatant crimes during their tenure and escape punishment. The Supreme Court Justice further explained how the ruling allegedly jeopardized the country's democracy.
“The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution,” Sotomayor wrote.
She cited hypothetical crimes that future Presidents could get away with because of the ruling.
“Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune," she wrote.
"Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law."
According to her, presidents had operated with the fear of a criminal prosecution if they did something illegal before the Supreme Court ruling. However, the Court's decision facilitated future leaders to "commit crimes" without worrying about the consequences.