Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), who’s running to be the next Judiciary Committee chairman, said Friday that some justices on the Supreme Court may be trying to stave off retirement until President Trump leaves office.
Chabot indicated he has no inside knowledge of the thinking of Justices Anthony Kennedy or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who are frequent subjects of speculation about retirements. But he said it’s a subject of discussion.
“The speculation is that some of these people are holding on because they don’t necessarily want this particular president to appoint their successor,” Chabot said in an interview with Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
“We don’t know if there will be any Supreme Court vacancies this year,” Chabot said
“Obviously there’s been speculation about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and others as well, Kennedy, but we just don’t know that,” Chabot said. “Often times, we’re surprised by these types of announcements. With respect to Justice Ginsburg, there’s been speculation about that for years now.”
Chabot said the political makeup of the Supreme Court is critical, especially given recent 5-4 decisions like the one Thursday where the court ruled that states can compel online retailers to collect sales tax.
Chabot is one of several Republicans seeking to replace retiring Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) in the next Congress.
Currently the Small Business Committee chairman, Chabot has been making the case that he’s the best candidate for the job because of his past experience in former President Clinton’s impeachment case two decades ago.
Chabot was one of 13 House managers during those impeachment proceedings.
— Scott Wong
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