Speculation swirls about next Supreme Court vacancy

Just months before Election Day, the question of whether President Trump will get to select a third Supreme Court justice hangs over the final weeks of the court’s term.

Speculation over a possible vacancy has focused in recent years on the prospect of Justice Clarence Thomas exiting while Republicans control the White House and Senate, and alternatively on the health of the court’s aging liberal bloc.

Top Senate Republicans drew fresh attention to the bench recently when they said they would confirm a new justice if given the chance despite...