The balance would be upset is one of the right-leaning justices retired: that really narrows down to Scalia or Kennedy.
My sense is that Scalia loves it, is healthy, and will issue rulings from his deathbed if necessary.
Kennedy and Scalia are both 76, but I have no real sense of Kennedy except I’ve heard he leans libertarian.
Thomas, Alito, and Roberts (right-leaning?) are all young.
The oldest of the justices is Ginsberg at 79, she has questionable health, and I’ve heard she wants out. If so, why didn’t she when Obama had the Senate at 60 votes?
There’s something going on there, and it’s puzzling. Here we have a possible change coming up, Democrats still in control of the Senate, though not filibuster proof, and she still hasn’t retired.
Unusual.
Breyer is 74, healthy, and I hear he likes it, too. Again, though, why not retire when they had a 60 vote Senate?
Unusual.
Ginsberg might retire during the lame-duck session, when Dingy Harry’s Senate would rush through her replacement’s nomination.