Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stepping down is not the “sensible approach” as Democrats float the idea of packing the court before President-elect Trump takes office.
Sanders joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday, where he was asked for his thoughts about the idea.
“Is that something you would support, do you think she should step down?” Welker asked.
“No, I don’t,” Sanders replied.
Welker continued, asking if he had “heard any talk” about the idea.
“A little bit, yes,” Sanders said. “I don’t think it’s a sensible approach.”
Sotomayor has made it clear she has no plans to step down from the Supreme Court, CNN reported Sunday after speaking with people close to the justice.
Some on the left have called for President Biden to name a successor — someone younger — to serve a lifetime appointment before Trump enters office.
Sotomayor, 70, is in “great health, and the court needs her now more than ever,” one person close to the justice told CNN.
With 71 days until Trump’s inauguration, there are concerns that a Supreme Court nomination would take too long, and Sotomayor’s hypothetical open seat would allow the president-elect to nominate a conservative.