Bernie Sanders says he opposes urging Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down

Senator says he doesn't support forcing justice to retire so that Biden can pick replacement before finishing his term

Bernie Sanders said he opposes any move to force Sonia Sotomayor, the senior liberal justice on the US supreme court, to step down so that Joe Biden could nominate a younger liberal replacement before he finishes his term as president.

Sotomayor, 70, is known to suffer from health issues, and some Democrats fear a repeat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died during Donald Trump's first term - giving him a third opportunity to nominate a new justice and further shore up the top court's conservative bent.