Justice Sotomayor Refuses Democrat Demands to Step Down So Biden Can Replace Her

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is refusing to comply with Democrat demands that she step down from the Supreme Court so President Joe Biden can replace her before his term ends.

Democrats are demanding that 70-year-old Sotomayor, who has type 1 diabetes, step aside for a younger liberal nominee before President Donald Trump is sworn into power in January.

However, Sotomayor is reportedly resisting the pressure from the Left.

The Left is panicking that Sotomayor could die or be forced to step down for health reasons during Trump's term or before another Democrat is elected president.

If Sotomayor's seat were to become vacant, it would allow Republicans to select another conservative justice.

However, the Left continues to fail to understand that Supreme Court justices are meant to serve the American people through their interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and are not there to simply advance the Democrats' agenda.

If Sotomayor were to step down to benefit the Democrats, it would undermine the integrity of the high court.

Sotomayor is the third-oldest member of the court; Justice Clarence Thomas is 76, and Justice Samuel Alito is 74.

"Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has made clear she has no plans to step down, according to people close to her," CNN reported .

One source reportedly close to Sotomayor told CNN:

"She's in great health, and the court needs her now more than ever."

Democrats are concerned about a repeat of the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020.

Ginsburg refused to leave the court while she had cancer and Barack Obama was president, despite public pleas from Democrats to step down.

She, of course, died toward the end of Trump's first term.

In 2014, one critic wrote : "She must retire. Right now.

"While we're at it, Stephen Breyer should retire too. ...

"If Ginsburg and Breyer wait to retire, it will only serve to maximize the possibility that a Republican president will choose their successor and in the process undo much of what they've worked for their entire careers."

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should retire from the Supreme Court after the completion of the current term in June," another critic wrote .

"She turned 81 on Saturday and by all accounts, she is healthy and physically and mentally able to continue.

"But only by resigning this summer can she ensure that a Democratic president will be able to choose a successor who shares her views and values."

Obama met with Ginsburg in 2013 and reportedly hinted that she should leave the court.

She did not, however.

After her death from pancreatic cancer in late 2020, Trump replaced her with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative.

In January 2020, the Supreme Court ruled for the Trump administration, which had asked for permission on the "public charge" rule, banning non-citizens from receiving a green card if the government thought those non-citizens would rely on public assistance.

Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog wrote :

"That ruling put on hold a pair of orders by a federal district court in New York, which had blocked the government from enforcing the rule anywhere in the nation."

The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could enforce that rule in Illinois while the federal government went ahead and appealed a judge's ruling barring the federal government from enforcing it.

That ruling prompted Sotomayor, who was nominated for her seat on the court by Obama, to attack the five so-called "conservative" judges on the court who gave the Trump administration a 5-4 victory in the case as being biased in favor of Republicans.

"The Court's recent behavior on stay applications has benefited one litigant over all others," she wrote.