With the current Supreme Court term coming to an end soon, there is growing speculation that 76-year-old Justice Sam Alito may step down from the seat he has held for 20 years, and that is leading to some under-the-radar maneuvering.
According to the Washington Post, Alito is widely considered the justice [most likely to step down, with observers pointing to his age, the release of his first book, and the November midterm elections as potential motivators due to Republican fears of losing control of the Senate.
The Dems are in the minority in the Senate. That’s the whole reason why Alito would retire before the midterms, while Repubs still have the majority and have the votes to confirm a replacement.
They must be worried Dems could win the majority in the midterms and would then take control in January and be able to stop a replacement if he waits until then to retire.