WASHINGTON — As one justice settles into his new job at the Supreme Court, is another about to leave?

Justice Anthony Kennedy, 80, is so far refusing to comment on speculation that he may soon retire after 29 years on the court.

But that hasn’t stopped President Trump and, obliquely, the Republican senator in charge of high court confirmation hearing,s from weighing in on the prospect that Kennedy could step down as soon as this spring or summer. If not this year, several former law clerks said they would not be surprised to see the justice retire in 2018.

‘‘I’ve heard the same rumors that a lot of people have heard. And I have a lot of respect for that gentleman, a lot,’’ Trump told The Washington Times in an interview published Sunday.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters last month, ‘‘I would expect a resignation this summer.’’ He did not name any names but cited a rumored retirement.

Kennedy’s departure would give Trump a second Supreme Court vacancy and the chance to cement conservative control of the court for a decade or more. Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first nominee, joined the court last month.

Kennedy has been the crucial swing vote on the high court for more than a decade. He has sided with the liberal justices on gay rights and abortion rights.

Associated Press