General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The war is over, and we lost. [View all]In It to Win It
(9,922 posts)I'm talking about all the potential vacancies to come. During his term 250 judges will become eligible for senior status. Many of them are Republican appointees and will retire when Republicans take control.
The popular expectation is that Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito will retire at some point during his term, which means he will have appointed 5 justices to the Supreme Court who are young to serve for the next 30 years. Any hope we had of waiting Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito out is gone, because they weren't leaving under a Democratic president unless they died or physically couldn't do the job anymore. They're both in their mid-70s. They will likely be pressured to retire.
The 2026 map, at best, has 3 pickup opportunities (ME, TC, NC). Everywhere else is a safe red state that even a fuck-up like Donald Trump can't help us flip.