Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson is warning Donald Trump that a third party run could do more than just put Hillary Clinton in the White House. Carson cautioned the billionaire businessman that an independent presidential bid would tilt the balance of the Supreme Court in a liberal direction for generations.
“If he [Donald Trump] decides to run a third party campaign, he basically will be giving the election to the progressives who will get two or three Supreme Court picks,” Carson told Fox News host Megyn Kelly Friday.
Over the past decade numerous split decisions reveal the replacement of even one justice could tip the balance of power on the court. By 2020, four Supreme Court justices will be in their 80s, meaning the next president will play a pivotal role in shaping the future trajectory of the High Court.
Reliably liberal justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an 82-year-old pancreatic cancer survivor; conservative mainstay Antonin Scalia is slightly younger at 79. Clinton appointee Stephen Breyer is 76 years old and with 20 years sitting on the bench, Clarence Thomas is 66. Experts have noted Thomas’ relative silence on the court is an indication he may not be so enamored with the job.
Should Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton win the White House and replace Ginsburg and Breyer, along with either Kennedy or Scalia, she could secure a very young liberal voting bloc in which none of the justices were born before 1954. Conversely, a Republican president could cement a 6-3 conservative majority by replacing Ginsburg, Kennedy and Scalia.
Carson signaled a third party run could also hurt Trump’s business interests.
“His empire will collapse,” the GOP candidate told Kelly.
“Way to put it in economic terms he [Trump] would listen to,” Kelly responded.
