Will Kennedy retire Monday?

[daveosupremo]

Yes or no?

[daveosupremo]

What? It's the end of the term. That's when they retire. I don't understand what you mean.

[Person Man]

He probably won't. His retirement breaks this country for a while. It would at least break Atlas. Good luck signing in on Monday afternoon when he pulls this stunt.

[Kingpoleon]

I hope not. I'd like to see a 50-50 Senate before he retires.

[Skunk]

For the good of the country, I hope not.

[KingSweden]

I suspect he retires 2018, especially with the chance to serve a while with a former law clerk.

[Green Line]

He's more right wing than Roberts at this point.  What difference does it make?

[Person Man]

What? It's the end of the term. That's when they retire. I don't understand what you mean.

Every year, there are rumors that Kennedy is stepping down. No different this year. The rumor is coming out of nefarious alt right sources.

I mean...he could very well be retiring but this isnt the first time the rumors surfaced

All I know is that it would be very disruptive.

[krazen1211]

Justice Kennedy didn't walk away while that guy Barry was President. Surely he has been waiting for an amazing GOP President like Donald Trump.

[Kingpoleon]

I suspect he retires 2018, especially with the chance to serve a while with a former law clerk.

Is that precedented? Serving with a former law clerk?


Anyway, Murkowski and Collins won't let Trump push through even a Roberts or Gorsuch if Kennedy retires. The Judiciary Committee alone has Flake, Graham, Lee, Sasse, and Kennedy. Those five alone will be pretty tough on a Kennedy replacement nominated by Trump.

[KingSweden]

I suspect he retires 2018, especially with the chance to serve a while with a former law clerk.

Is that precedented? Serving with a former law clerk?


Anyway, Murkowski and Collins won't let Trump push through even a Roberts or Gorsuch if Kennedy retires. The Judiciary Committee alone has Flake, Graham, Lee, Sasse, and Kennedy. Those five alone will be pretty tough on a Kennedy replacement nominated by Trump.

It's never happened before, ever. Trump was mentioning its unprecedented nature at Gorsuch's swearing in.

(I actually agree with Trump that it's a neat factoid)

[Person Man]

I suspect he retires 2018, especially with the chance to serve a while with a former law clerk.

Is that precedented? Serving with a former law clerk?


Anyway, Murkowski and Collins won't let Trump push through even a Roberts or Gorsuch if Kennedy retires. The Judiciary Committee alone has Flake, Graham, Lee, Sasse, and Kennedy. Those five alone will be pretty tough on a Kennedy replacement nominated by Trump.

Basically, the question then becomes if that 50th Republican is ready for the consequences of sending the nominee to be rubber stamped by Pence to overturn everything from Roe to West Coast Hotel.

[JGibson]

I hope not. If he goes, it'll shift SCOTUS radically to the right. Gorsuch replacing Scalia was largely a straight swap, with some ticks to the right; however, any Trump pick that replaces Kennedy will be several ticks to the right.

[KingSweden]

I hope not. If he goes, it'll shift SCOTUS radically to the right. Gorsuch replacing Scalia was largely a straight swap, with some ticks to the right; however, any Trump pick that replaces Kennedy will be several ticks to the right.

I'm skeptical, personally, of the study that suggested Gorsuch was that right of Scalia.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Justice Kennedy didn't walk away while that guy Barry was President. Surely he has been waiting for an amazing GOP President like Donald Trump.

If he's waiting for an amazing GOP President, then it's not Trump he's waiting for. I don't see Kennedy retiring. He enjoys his job, and has no debilitating health problems.

[daveosupremo]

I hope not. If he goes, it'll shift SCOTUS radically to the right. Gorsuch replacing Scalia was largely a straight swap, with some ticks to the right; however, any Trump pick that replaces Kennedy will be several ticks to the right.

I'm skeptical, personally, of the study that suggested Gorsuch was that right of Scalia.

I think it's safe to say that Gorsuch is too Scalias right on Chevron, which is a BFD, but with that exception, I agree with you. They seem to be very similar in judicial philosophy.

[publicunofficial]

I hope not. If he goes, it'll shift SCOTUS radically to the right. Gorsuch replacing Scalia was largely a straight swap, with some ticks to the right; however, any Trump pick that replaces Kennedy will be several ticks to the right.

I'm skeptical, personally, of the study that suggested Gorsuch was that right of Scalia.

Scalia was decently libertarian on police/civil liberties stuff. Gorsuch isn't.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Justice Kennedy didn't walk away while that guy Barry was President. Surely he has been waiting for an amazing GOP President like Donald Trump.

If he's waiting for an amazing GOP President, then it's not Trump he's waiting for. I don't see Kennedy retiring. He enjoys his job, and has no debilitating health problems.

Kennedy's kids are friendly with the Trump kids. The general consensus seems to be that Kennedy is stepping down by next June at latest.

Why? Kennedy enjoys his job. If he'd wanted to enjoy retirement, he easily could've retired under Dubya when he was in his 70s. The only reason for any Republican justice to retire in 2018 would be if the GOP was in danger of losing the Senate, and Thomas might be interested in retiring at age 70 next year.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I suspect he retires 2018, especially with the chance to serve a while with a former law clerk.

Is that precedented? Serving with a former law clerk?


Anyway, Murkowski and Collins won't let Trump push through even a Roberts or Gorsuch if Kennedy retires. The Judiciary Committee alone has Flake, Graham, Lee, Sasse, and Kennedy. Those five alone will be pretty tough on a Kennedy replacement nominated by Trump.

Sasse and Lee are movement conservatives. They will likely vote for whoever it is along as Fed Soc adores them.

[EnglishPete]

Do we need to have this endless speculation based on what 'sources' i.e. rumours say? Only Kennedy could know for certain if and when he might intend to retire. There'll be time enough to discusshis replacement if and when he goes.

[daveosupremo]

Do we need to have this endless speculation based on what 'sources' i.e. rumours say? Only Kennedy could know for certain if and when he might intend to retire. There'll be time enough to discusshis replacement if and when he goes.

Nobody said anything about rumors. Kennedy is 80, and if he retires this year, it'll be Monday. I was simply curious about what the forum thought was going to happen.

Besides, do we really need to have endless speculation based on rumors of who the replacement will be, when only Trump could no for certain. Perhaps you should have Justice or Likely Voter delete the 2020 thread because nobody will know what happens until November 2020, and the forum is just getting cluttered with speculation based on nothing but sources.

I honestly don't know why some people are so touchy about certain threads. This is a forum for political junkies to discuss the political stories of the day. A huge percentage of it is speculation based on nothing.

You should probably just get over it.

[MarkD]

I think Kennedy aims to be carried out of the Supreme Court on a stretcher, damn him.

One part of me will celebrate his departure, however and whenever he does vacate the seat, but another part of me worries that whomever replaces him will unlikely be much better. A little better, maybe, but not Learned Hand level quality.

[Orser67]

He's more right wing than Roberts at this point.  What difference does it make?

His successor would likely be just as, if not more, conservative than him. But more importantly, the successor would probably be about 30 years younger.

[The Other Castro]

Kennedy isn't going to retire while the sitting president is under investigation for obstruction of justice.

[GeorgiaModerate]

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