It increasingly looks like in this November’s midterms, the House and Senate may flip, allowing the Democratic Party to wrest control of Congress from the Republicans. In response, the GOP is eyeing the Supreme Court as the last bastion of power. Ali Velshi explains what’s driving this attempted end-run around the will of the people — and the potential consequences. 

Polling indicates that four key Senate races have all moved in favor of Democrats, while even Trump’s most ardent supporters are losing patience. The possibility of losing power in the legislative branch has provoked a shift in the GOP’s focus toward the Supreme Court, where they could have an opportunity to lock in their agenda by controlling the judicial branch.

The conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court has reshaped American law on abortion, gun control, and presidential power. Two of those conservative justices — Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — are in their 70s. Though there is no term nor age limit for serving on the Court, it is likely that retirement is in the near future for both men. Should that happen while Trump is still president, he could potentially replace them with someone much younger who could sit on the bench for decades.

This is not a quiet, internal  strategy. Supreme Court confirmations require only a simple majority in the senate, which the GOP is clinging to now. The senate judiciary committee and GOP leadership have made it clear they are ready to confirm a new justice before the midterms. That is less a message to the public as it is a message to Thomas and Alito themselves: step down while you still can, and while we can still wield unchecked power. 

LISTEN: THE GOP’S SUPREME COURT PLAY

WATCH: WHAT JUSTICE THOMAS HAS TO SAY ABOUT PROGRESSIVISM

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