Potential Path to Supreme Court Role for Harris if Sotomayor Steps Down

In an unexpected twist following Kamala Harris’s recent loss in the presidential race to Donald Trump, CNN contributor Bakari Sellers suggested a significant new career path for the vice president. On “CNN News Central”, Sellers, a Democratic former South Carolina House representative, floated the idea of Harris potentially succeeding Sonia Sotomayor on the US Supreme Court. He proposed that Sotomayor, who is 70, could retire to make way for President Joe Biden to nominate Harris, thereby maintaining a liberal presence on the court.

Sellers reasoned that with Trump’s upcoming presidency and a Republican Senate majority, a prompt replacement of Sotomayor would ensure another liberal justice on the bench before Trump takes office. When host John Berman asked about Democratic concerns regarding the Supreme Court’s balance, Sellers suggested Biden should consider the option. “Justice Sotomayor has been more than capable,” Sellers said, alluding to potential personal issues she may be facing. He cautioned against a situation like the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s, where retirement timing left the seat vulnerable to a conservative successor.

A Historic Appointment? Harris’s Credentials Under Discussion

Sellers also pointed out that Harris, a former California attorney general and senator, could be a strong candidate despite her lack of judicial experience. “You have a hell of a vice president right there who has a legal pedigree to sit on the Supreme Court,” he added, noting that the move, though unconventional, could counterbalance the court’s growing conservative majority.

Sellers’s comments come as legal scholars, including Cornell Law’s Gautam Hans, speculate that Trump may also replace senior conservative justices Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito. This could further entrench a conservative stronghold on the court. Should Sotomayor, who also manages type 1 diabetes, retire, Biden could secure one of the last liberal appointments for the foreseeable future.

The notion of Harris as Supreme Court justice may face criticism for bypassing conventional judicial pathways, yet her legal background presents a compelling case.