Biden, 81, suggests two Supreme Court justices won’t outlast him
By
Haisten Willis
May 30, 2024 2:14 pm
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President Joe Biden made a bold prediction Wednesday — that he’ll appoint two Supreme Court justices in the next four years if reelected.
“Guess what? The next president, they’re going to be able to appoint a couple of justices,” Biden said in a Philadelphia campaign speech focused on black voters. “If, in fact, we’re able to change some of the justices when they retire and put in really progressive judges like we’ve always had, tell me that won’t change your life.”
However, that scenario would depend on two justices, all of whom are at least six years younger than Biden, stepping away from the role over the next four years.
The oldest judge on the Supreme Court today is Clarence Thomas, who turns 76 in June and will be 80 at the end of 2028. Biden is 81 today and would be 86 by the end of a second term.
The second-oldest justice on the high court, Samuel Alito, turned 74 in April. But both Alito and Thomas are considered part of the court’s conservative wing, and thus may be reluctant to voluntarily retire under a Democratic president.
Behind those two is Sonia Sotomayor, who is 69 and has already been subject to a heavy retirement push from liberal activists. Chief Justice John Roberts is also 69, though he is six months younger than Sotomayor.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3022454/biden-two-supreme-court-justices/
