Donald Trump Says Republicans Must Replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg ‘Without Delay’
On Saturday, President Donald Trump urged fellow Republicans to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “without delay,” Fox News reported.
“@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices,” Trump tweeted. “We have this obligation, without delay!”
Trump’s tweet came less than 24 hours after Ginsburg’s death. The 87-year-old died on Friday, due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also signaled that the GOP-controlled upper chamber will move with filling the vacancy as quickly as possible.
In a statement, McConnell defended his Senate’s actions during Barack Obama’s lame duck period and said that the upper chamber has not confirmed an opposite-party president’s nominee in an election year since the 1880s.
McConnell said that “by contrast, Americans re-elected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary.”
In conclusion, he added that Trump’s pick “will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”
It remains to be seen whether McConnell and his allies will be able to confirm Trump’s replacement for Ginsburg by Election Day. As Fox News noted, Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation took 89 days in total and there are only 44 days until November 3.
Democrats have argued that the vacancy should not be filled until after the election.
Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer said that the American people “should have a voice” in selecting the justice.
Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, echoed Schumer, calling on Republicans to respect longstanding norms.
Trump, McConnell and other key Republicans are expected to do all in their power to fill the vacancy, but a number of vulnerable senators will have to think twice before voting for Trump’s next pick, according to The Washington Post.
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska recently said that she would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee this close to the November election.
Susan Collins of Maine, who is facing a formidable Democratic challenger, has made similar comments.
Mitt Romney of Utah, who was the only GOP senator to vote to impeach Trump, could take a principled stance and let the process unfold on its own.
Cory Gardner of Colorado and Joni Ernst of Iowa are also facing tough re-election battles this year.
