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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for March 21, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
March 21, 2017: Supreme Court appointments are often the most important legacies of any president. Their impact often far outlasts the term and life of the president who appointed them. That could certainly be the case if, as expected, Neil Gorsuch is confirmed as the nation’s next Supreme Court justice. It is reasonable to assume that he could serve more than three decades on the court.
Gorsuch was born on August 29, 1967, making him 49 ½ years old. According to a life expectancy calculator provided by the Social Security Administration, a male of that age would be expected to live an additional 32.6 years.
However, there are many factors that influence life expectancy. Based upon his education, his income, and what is known of his lifestyle, Judge Gorsuch would be expected to live somewhat longer than average.
If Gorsuch maintained good health and continued to serve on the court for 32.6 years, his service would continue to at least 2049. That means he would be ruling on cases through eight more presidential terms after President Trump’s current term.
Currently, Chief Justice John Roberts is 62 years old. According to the actuarial averages, he could be expected to live 21.6 more years.
At 56, Justice Elena Kagan is the youngest current member of the court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the oldest, having celebrated her 84th birthday last week. According to the Social Security Administration calculator, Ginsburg could be expected to live another 7.8 years and Kagan 29.0 years.
If all of the current justices lived out the average life expectancy—and if none resigned during their lifetime—President Donald Trump would not get to appoint any more justices. However, it is important to remember that these numbers are just averages. In fact, the man Gorsuch has been nominated to replace—Justice Antonin Scalia—was younger than Justice Ginsburg when he died.
Yesterday’s number looked at 206 Pivot Counties that voted twice for President Obama and then voted for President Trump in 2016.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Neil Gorsuch
- Supreme Court vacancy, 2017: An overview
- Neil Gorsuch confirmation hearings: Day 1
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