Despite pressure on Sotomayor, Supreme Court unlikely to change before Trump takes office. Here's why.

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump's victory Tuesday has stirred up whispers about whether Justice Sonia Sotomayor should step down from the Supreme Court to allow President Biden to nominate a successor before Republicans take control of Washington.

But any changes in the composition of the nation's highest court are unlikely in the coming months, even as lawmakers return for a lame-duck session to finish their business before Trump is sworn in for a second term and the GOP assumes the Senate majority.

Sotomayor hasn't responded publicly to the chatter about a retirement, and she did not return a request for comment about her future. She remains an active questioner during oral arguments and has become known for biting dissents in hotly contested cases.