Some Democrats dont expect to fill a Supreme Court vacancy under Trump

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is putting President Donald Trump on notice: If Democrats win control, they don’t intend to put “MAGA” judges on the courts.“The bottom line is: One of the reasons we want to do everything we can to take back the Senate is not let Trump put such horrible justices — MAGA justices — on the Supreme Court and the lower courts,” Schumer said in response to a question from NBC News about a potential high court vacancy if Democrats win in 2026.Sen.Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said he doesn’t think a Democratic-led Senate would confirm a Trump pick for the Supreme Court either.“Well, given the history of Trump nominees, I think it is slim to none that we would support a nominee from this administration,” Blumenthal said in an interview.

“Because we’ve seen this movie, we know how it ends, which is a politician in robes who is following Trump’s orders on most major questions.”Add to GoogleSupreme Court kicks off term with major climate change case04:53The remarks highlight the high stakes of the 2026 election for Trump’s final two years when it comes to judicial nominees, especially for the Supreme Court if there’s a vacancy.None of the nine justices have signaled plans to retire, but speculation has centered on how long the two oldest justices — conservatives Clarence Thomas, 78, and Samuel Alito, 76 — will stay on the court.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Chief Justice John Roberts are the next oldest justices, at 72 and 71, respectively.Alito told CBS News in a recent interview that he considered retirement earlier this year, but ultimately decided against it.“It’s something I think that somebody at my age has to think about every term,” Alito said, while adding: “It’s too hard to predict what the political situation will be, and what any president might do with respect to a replacement.”If Democrats win control of the Sen...