President Donald Trump reportedly has predicted that four Supreme Court seats will be filled during his presidency.
Trump successfully filled the seat left vacant after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 by appointing Justice Neil Gorsuch. Now he is predicting the retirement of Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Sonia Sotomayor and is confident he can fill those seats too, Axios reported, citing unnamed sources.
Kennedy has been back on retirement watch for several months, following a National Public Radio article that stated it was unlikely the 81-year-old would remain on the court for the full four years of Trump's term.
Axios noted the U.S. president believes Ginsberg and Sotomayor would both be retiring due to health reasons.
Speaking to a source about 84-year-old Ginsburg, Trump said "what does she weigh? 60 pounds?"
He then addressed Sotomayor’s Type 1 diabetes, telling the source her health was "no good,"Axios noted.
Sotomayor, who has successfully managed diabetes for more than 50 years, has been vocal about living with the illness.
"When I'm doing anything, I am totally focused," the 63-year-old told Diabetes Forecast.
"That can be dangerous if you're disconnected from feeling what your body is saying. And my worst lows have happened in the middle of some activity in which I've been really concentrating. It's still a challenge for me to not ignore, or not to disconnect from, self-monitoring during those intense concentration periods."
Sotomayor has managed her condition since childhood so it was surprising for Trump to forecast her retirement, especially since she is rarely included in the topic of discussion.
By replacing Kennedy, Ginsberg and Sonia Sotomayor, Trump could dramatically change the makeup of the Supreme Court, Business Insider reported.
Ginsburg and Sotomayor are both considered liberal justices and replacing them could shift the balance of the court to the right.