A Brooklyn representative has been especially outspoken about her disagreement with calls for a Supreme Court Justice to retire, arguing she has every right to continue serving on the Court.
Following some pressure for Justice Sonia Sotomayor to resign soon as a means of giving President Biden the opportunity to appoint a new left-leaning replacement to the mostly right-wing court, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, and other lawmakers have been pushing back. Sotomayor is widely considered a centrist, “with liberal inclinations” and therefore not a reliably consistent liberal.
Velazquez says fellow Democrats should allow the trailblazing 69-year-old jurist to maker her own decision about retiring from the country’s top court.
“Forcing the only Latina on the Court to retire isn’t going to get us a liberal majority back,” Velazquez tweeted on Thursday. Sotomayor is also the first Latina to ever serve as a US justice.
The Brooklyn lawmaker and dean of the Puerto Rican caucus, known more informally as “la luchadora,” or the fighter, was responding to comments from Sen. Richard Blumenthal suggesting that Justice Sotomayor should consider stepping down given her age and possibly compromised health.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, who represents the South Bronx district where Sotomayor was raised, made similar remarks to Velazquez on Friday.
“Justice Sotomayor has been a trailblazer for the Latino community and has every right to serve on the Supreme Court until she makes the decision that it is best for her to retire,” Torres stated.
Sen. Blumenthal, 78, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that deals with Supreme Court appointments, said he has “great admiration” for Justice Sotomayor, but everyone should consider the desirability of her retirement.
“We should learn a lesson. And it’s not like there’s any mystery here about what the lesson should be,” Blumenthal said. “The old saying: graveyards are full of indispensable people.”
Currently, there are only three left-leaning judges on the nine-member court, with a majority of six right-leaning members. As the 2024 election draws closer, this has become a point of concern for many Democrats who worry about losing a liberal voice on the Court.
“We can’t change the past. What’s done is done,” Velazquez said. “I believe we can win this November, but based on your comments, Senator (Blumenthal), it seems you’ve given up.”
Another Democratic lawmaker in Houston has also spoken out against Blumenthal’s remarks. “A 78-year-old telling a 69-year-old it’s time to retire. Seriously?” asked Rep. Sylvia Garcia. “Let’s focus on winning in November, not planning for defeat.”
Justice Sotomayor has not responded to the calls for her retire, though in recent years justices have announced their resignation from the Court toward the beginning of Summer.
