President Donald Trump has made two nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court and he may soon have a third, but it might not be whom you suspect.

According to The Hill, Justice Clarence Thomas could exit the high court this year while Republicans still control the White House and Senate, ensuring he is replaced with another conservative justice.

Republicans and Democrats have watched liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, battle cancer and other health problems for years, anticipating a bare-knuckles brawl if Trump seeks to replace the former ACLU attorney with a third conservative jurist.

Political observers suggest that Thomas, 71, would be most likely to exit with Trump finishing his first term, though the The Hill says it interviewed several friends and former clerks for Thomas, and all say he is staying put.

Phillip Jauregui of Judicial Action Group tells OneNewsNow he would be sad to see Thomas go.

“He’s our best justice,” he says of Thomas, who has served since 1991. “I hope he’ll keep serving a long time.”

Thomas said last year at Pepperdine University that he had no plans to retire, and Jauregui says at age 71 he is younger than Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, who is 81.

“So as long as Thomas is healthy, he has the ability to serve for a long time,” Jauregui continues. “He’s already been on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court longer than any other justice, including Justice Ginsburg.”

Justice Kennedy, nominated by President Reagan in 1987, retired in 2018. President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace him on the court.

—-

This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.

Rating: 4.1/5. From 7 votes.
Please wait...