You are 82. Joe Biden is President, Democrats barely control the Senate. In a perfect world, you’re right, politics shouldn’t be a consideration in your decision whether to retire. But after McConnel’s refusal to allow Garland a hearing or a vote, and the circuses confirmation hearings have become, the party-line confirmation votes we have all seen, and the rushed-through nomination of ACB to replace RBG within weeks of an election, you know well you cannot pretend politics don’t matter.
How did you feel when Marshall was replaced with Thomas? RBG with ACB? Did you notice how your former colleague Kennedy was able to hand-pick young conservative (and demonstratively unfit) Kavanaugh to replace him because the Presidency and Senate were in GOP hands? Do you hope to leave a legacy? Know that the biggest step you can take to preserve your influence on the court is not to stay, but to leave now and help pick your successor, rather that stick around too long and have your seat go to someone with the goal of reversing all of your greatest decisions.
I hope you live a long time (maybe longer without the stress of the job?) Thank you for your work for justice. You can either choose when to leave, and who will replace you, or let fate decide. There is a substantial chance the Senate or the Presidency won’t be in Democratic hands when time catches up with you. It is perfectly clear that if a republican replaces you it will be with the worst, youngest extremist the Federalist Society can come up with, and McConnel has seated hundreds of them. You won’t have to live with this decision. The rest of us will.
You’re a judge. The evidence is clear.