(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In addition to achieving one of the greatest political comebacks in American history, President-elect Donald Trump could soon become the first president in over 80 years to appoint a majority of the Supreme Court justices.
This historic achievement could materialize if justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor retire within the next two years, while Republicans hold a majority in the Senate.
Thomas, 76, and Alito, 74, are hailed as the court’s most conservative members and could announce their retirements soon. Sotomayor’s potential retirement has also sparked speculation among the political parties.
Thomas was appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991 and Alito joined him in 2006. Three years later, Barack Obama appointed Sotomayor.
If Trump nominates their replacements—and the Senate confirms them—he would have selected six of the Supreme Court’s nine justices.
This scenario would place Trump alongside some of the nation’s historic presidents, making him the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to appoint most of the court’s justices.
Roosevelt nominated eight justices during his 12-year presidency. Before him, Only George Washington had achieved such a feat, filling the entire court, according to Fox29 Philadelphia.
William Taft and Andrew Jackson trailed behind, having appointed five justices, while Dwight D. Eisenhower, Benjamin Harrison and Abraham Lincoln each appointed four. Several other presidents, including Trump, have appointed three justices.
Four presidents—William Harrison, Andrew Johnson, Zachary Taylor and Jimmy Carter—did not get to appoint a single justice during their tenure as presidents.
On Tuesday, Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States after leaving the White House in 2020. Republicans also regained a majority in the Senate. The House of Representatives’ balance remains undetermined.
