April 15 (UPI) — President Donald Trump says he has a list of candidates he could nominate to the Supreme Court if openings become available under his term.
No Supreme Court justices have said they plan to retire but news that Justice Samuel Alito was hospitalized last month has raised speculation. Alito, 76, is the second oldest justice, behind 77-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas.
In an interview that aired on Fox Business on Wednesday, Trump said there could be multiple vacancies on the bench.
“It could be two, could be three, could be one,” Trump said. “I don’t know. I’m prepared to do it.”
Trump added that Alito is in “very good physical health.” He was hospitalized on March 20 after feeling “ill” during an event in Philadelphia. He was released that night.
Alito was appointed by President George W. Bush.
The nine justices that make up the U.S. Supreme Court are granted lifetime appointments.
Trump has appointed three justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. All three were appointed during Trump’s first term, the most in a single presidential term since President Ronald Reagan.
Conservative justices have a six to three majority.
During Wednesday’s interview, Trump recalled his appointment of Barrett after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg at 87 years old. Ginsburg died in September 2020, about two months before Joe Biden defeated Trump in the presidential election.
“Ginsburg could not do it and she really hurt herself within the Democrat Party,” Trump said. “People are very angry at her because I got to appoint people instead of Biden. She decided that she was going to live forever and about two minutes after the election, she went out and I got to appoint somebody.”
Barrett was confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 26, 2020, days before the presidential election.