The two eldest justices — Clarence Thomas, 76, and Samuel Alito, 74 — could consider stepping down knowing that Trump, a Republican, would nominate replacements who might be three decades younger and ensure conservative domination of the court through the middle of the century, or beyond.

President-elect Donald Trump, who moved the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically rightward in his first term, may get a chance to rejuvenate its 6-3 conservative majority by replacing some or all of its three most senior conservatives with younger jurists - and perhaps even expand it if a liberal justice leaves.