Congressional officials and White House aides are preparing for the possibility Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, 72, will retire before the 2020 election, according to a Wednesday report, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) already has a replacement in mind.
Aides to President Donald Trump view Thomas “as the most likely” justice to retire this year, according to the report in The Washington Post. One outside adviser to Trump suggested McConnell favors 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amul Thapar to replace Thomas, saying, “If Thomas goes, you’ve got a lot of people around this process ready to support Thapar — and McConnell ready to move his favorite through.”
