Report: Sotomayor Had Rare Medical Requests During Travel

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the only current Supreme Court justice known to have required medical assistance during travels, has had attention brought to her health after records from the U.S. Marshals Service surfaced.

The records, revealed by the liberal watchdog group Fix The Court, show that Sotomayor, who has Type 1 diabetes, was accompanied by a medic on a trip to South Florida from Grand Junction, Colorado, in February 2018, a month after experiencing a low blood sugar episode at her home.

The documents further disclose that on at least four occasions in 2021 and 2022, Sotomayor’s luggage included “medical gear” or “medical supplies,” highlighting the ongoing health concerns for the 69-year-old justice.

These revelations have sparked discussions among some about the potential implications for the Supreme Court’s future, especially in light of the precedent set by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s decision not to retire during former President Barack Obama’s tenure.

The discussions about Sotomayor’s health and tenure come amid concerns about the balance of the Supreme Court following the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett by former President Donald Trump, which established a 6-3 majority of Republican-appointed justices. The issue of justices’ retirement and the timing thereof has become a critical strategic consideration for both political parties, given the lifetime appointments to the bench.

“It’s quite possible the Democrats will lose control of the Senate in the next election, and who knows how long it could be before there’s a next opportunity for a Democratic president to make a new appointment into the seat she sits in? Justice [Antonin] Scalia stuck around through the 2006 election, did not make it to 2017, which would have been the next opportunity,” podcast host Josh Barro told Fox News in January, while speculating on Sotomayor’s retirement.