"The View" co-hosts lashed out at critics calling for Sonia Sotomayor to step down on Thursday, and said former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan was "wrong" to suggest the Supreme Court justice step down.
The co-hosts questioned why Justice Clarence Thomas was still on the court, and criticized Hasan.
"This guy, to go for Justice Sotomayor, who we know her thoughts, we don’t always agree them, but we know her thoughts and she’s a thoughtful person. We don’t know some of these other folks, and getting her off doesn’t mean somebody else is going to get on and be better. So what is his point? There are people who should be gone because they’re not doing what I think they should have done. Clarence Thomas should have recused himself. He shouldn’t be sitting there," co-host Whoopi Goldberg said.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin defended Hasan and said he has called for Thomas to recuse himself, but Goldberg said, "I did not want to hear this."
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"But for me this was a slap, A to a 69-year-old woman because you’re acting like she has got an issue. You got an issue with her, so she should go. I say get rid of the people who aren’t doing their job," Goldberg continued.
Hostin and Goldberg argued Democrats don't "stack the court," but Republicans have, by "stealing two seats."
Hostin said Hasan was wrong about Sotomayor, who she considers to be very smart.
"This take, I will say to my friend, I thought was the wrong take. Especially because, as you pointed out, Clarence Thomas is 75. Samuel Alito, who wrote the Dobbs decision, is 74. John Roberts, the Chief Justice, is the same age as Justice Sotomayor. He’s 69. Kagan is 63. When you point those out how can you say this woman who by the way, Justice Sotomayor is managing diabetes like millions of people in the world," she said.
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"The bottom line is she is such a stalwart on that court that we need her voice and they have established allegiances. She’s been on the court for almost 15 years. It’s not the time to go," Hostin continued.
Hasan argued that Sotomayor should retire so that President Biden can appoint another liberal justice to the court and cited Donald Trump's polling.
"I have PTSD from 2020, I think the Democrats didn‘t learn lessons. Look, what are we talking about, abortion rights. How did that happen? Dobbs [v. Jackson Women's Health Organization], how did the Florida decision happen today? [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis appointed five of the seven judges. Republicans are very good at stacking courts and getting their people on courts and thinking strategically about filling courts. Democrats aren't very good at seeing the power of the Supreme Court," Hasan said, Fox News Digital reported.
Hasan argued that other countries require their justices to retire by 70, and asked bluntly, "What are people doing in their 80s on the Supreme Court? Or running for president, some might ask?"
Journalist Josh Barro has also called on Sotomayor to retire, making a similar argument.
