A CNN guest surprisingly floated the idea that Joe Biden should nominate Kamala Harris to the Supreme Court before Donald Trump takes office.
Bakari Sellers appeared on CNN with host John Berman to discuss calls from some liberals that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 70, should resign and allow Biden to pick her replacement.
The idea is that Sotomayor may not survive the next four years of Trump’s presidency, allowing him to select a fourth justice for the Supreme Court.
‘I think it’s actually a very good plan. “I think it’s something that should happen,” Sellers said, when Berman asked him to weigh in on the proposal.
He said the chances of Sotomayor being forced to resign were “extremely high.”
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor attends a panel discussion on February 23, 2024 in Washington.
Sotomayor has not publicly responded to calls for her to resign.
Sellers enthusiastically supported the idea, almost reveling in conservatives’ possible outrage at the idea.
“I don’t care about stepping out of line or what Republicans might think about it. This is within your scope. You really can do it and you should,” he said, referring to Biden and the Democratic Party.
Sellers went further and suggested that Biden should select Harris as a replacement.
“We have an incredible vice president who has the legal pedigree to serve on a Supreme Court,” he said. “And let the Republicans go crazy, monkey, I even mention that option.”
Berman reacted to the idea with amazement and wondered if it was possible.
‘Not only am I floating it, but I want to shake it all up. “I want people’s heads to explode this morning,” Sellers said.
Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as her husband Doug Emhoff holds the Bible.
Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election.
Harris served as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco before winning her Senate seat.
Typically, presidents choose respected judicial minds to the Supreme Court, not politicians. Electing a sitting vice president to the Supreme Court would be an event without historical precedent.
Bakari Sellers on Friday proposed the risky idea of Biden nominating Kamala Harris to the Supreme Court.
Sellers, a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and CNN commentator, has long supported Harris’ political career, but there doesn’t appear to be much support for the idea.
The idea of appointing Harris to the Supreme Court has been discussed before.
Some Democrats suggested in 2022 that Biden pick Harris to fill the vacant seat left by outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer, 83, which would have the added benefit of removing her from the presidential ticket.
The idea was never taken seriously and Biden eventually nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy.
