Senator predicts another justice could leave the Supreme Court this summer

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has reportedly indicated that a Supreme Court justice may soon be vacating the position.

He is quoted by the Muscatine Journal as telling attendees of a corporate gathering on Tuesday, "I would expect a resignation this summer."

While he declined to identify the justice in question, he told the crowd that the proposed replacement would likely be chosen from President Trump's running list of potential nominees.

Supreme Court Justices

Grassley added, "I don't know about racial and ethnic divisions, but there's some very good females on there that would make good Supreme Court Justices as well."

The Hill points out that Senator Ted Cruz has also predicted that a spot would soon open up on the nation's highest court, saying last week, "I think we're likely to see another vacancy potentially as soon as this summer."

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Some have speculated that the judge interested in retiring could be Justice Anthony Kennedy, though Justice Clarence Thomas' name has also been mentioned as a possibility, notes the Daily Caller.

Earlier this month, President Trump secured his first justice to the Supreme Court with the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Grassley heralded Gorsuch's selection as "the most transparent and democratic judicial nomination process in recent history."

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