Washington (CNN) The New York Times Editorial Board is asking 81-year-old Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy not to leave the court amid rumors of his impending retirement.

In a open letter editorial published Saturday that took up the larger part of a page, the editorial board requests plainly: "Please don't go."

As the frequent tie-breaking decision of the court, Kennedy is "the most powerful member of the most powerful court in the country, as (he has) been for at least a decade," the Times board remarks.

The editorial board says that Kennedy has sent "mixed signals" about his potential retirement, "but that hasn't stopped Republicans in Congress from referring to your departure as a done deal."

"They smell blood — if they can install another rock-ribbed conservative like (Supreme Court Justice) Neil Gorsuch, the court will have a locked-in right-wing majority for the rest of most of our lifetimes. They won't even have to steal a seat to do it," the editorial continues.

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