**Sotomayor Unlikely to Step Down Despite Speculation Amid 2024 Election Results**

In the wake of the 2024 election results, speculation has swirled among some Democrats and liberal legal circles regarding the potential resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Despite this speculation, insiders close to Sotomayor have informed ABC News that she is not expected to step down mid-term. The justice, who is 70 years old, remains in good health and is an active participant in the court’s activities.

Justice Sotomayor, appointed for life, has a well-managed diabetes condition and is significantly below the average retirement age of 75. Historically, Supreme Court justices have been resistant to public pressures to resign, as yielding to such pressures could exacerbate the politicization of the court’s image—a concern voiced by several court analysts.

Appointed by President Barack Obama, Sotomayor is the first Latina to serve on the high court and has firmly established herself as a chief counterweight to the current conservative majority. In a speech at Harvard in May, Sotomayor reflected on her role, asserting her commitment to continue fighting despite facing losses and moments of deep sadness. "You have to shed the tears, and then you have to wipe them and get up and fight some more," she told her audience.

Many Democrats recall the repercussions from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death in late 2020, which provided then-President Donald Trump with the opportunity to nominate his third justice to the high court. Given Ginsburg's prolonged ill health, some regret she did not retire earlier, allowing Obama to choose her successor.

Amidst the current climate, some view pushing Sotomayor to retire as politically hazardous, with a successful confirmation for her replacement before Trump's potential inauguration in January 2025 seeming logistically unfeasible. Reflecting this sentiment, Senator Bernie Sanders commented on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that he does not believe pressuring Sotomayor to step down is a "sensible approach."

Ultimately, the considerations and complexities surrounding Sotomayor's potential resignation appear to reinforce her resolve to remain on the bench and continue her judicial duties.