US Supreme Court battle all on
As widely expected Justice Anthony Kennedy has announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. He has been the swing vote for the last couple of decades and this decision allows Trump the ability to give a reliable 5-4 majority for the next 20 years or so.
The ages of the existing eight Justices are:
- Neil Gorsuch 50
- Elena Kagan 58
- John Roberts 63
- Sonia Sotomayor 64
- Samuel Alito 68
- Clarence Thomas 70
- Stephen Breyer 79
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg 85
Justices often keep going to age 85 or so, so a conservative justice could see that 5 – 4 majority for at least 15 years. Also it is not impossible there will be other vacancies in Trump’s term/s.
Going to be fascinating to see who Trump nominates. Hopefully someone of the calibre of Gorsuch. This nomination will be opposed at all cost by the Democrats but by their own earlier use of the nuclear option, there are no more judicial filibusters so they have made themselves impotent.