[ad_1]
reReferences to the nomination of conservative attorney Amy Coney Barrett as successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the US Supreme Court are growing. President Donald Trump intends to nominate Barrett as a candidate on Saturday, television stations CNN and CBS, as well as the “New York Times” reported. They cited people who are familiar with the selection process. Trump had announced that he would nominate a woman for the position and there are several applicants on his list.
Trump only confirmed on Friday that he had engaged to a candidate. He wants to announce the nomination on Saturday starting at 5 pm local time.
In the United States, the Supreme Court often has the final say on policy issues related to issues such as abortion, immigration, gun rights, and discrimination. The judges are appointed for life. Of the nine Supreme Court seats, only three will be filled by clearly liberal judges after their death. With Trump’s candidate, the Conservatives would have a majority of six votes. That could shape America in the long run.
Trump also said he wanted the Supreme Court to be fully occupied, also with a view to possible disputes over the outcome of the presidential election. The president has been claiming for weeks that the publication of ballots dramatically increased the risk of voter fraud. The experts and those responsible for the elections deny it. Meanwhile, in the Corona crisis, many more American citizens than usual are voting by mail.
Barrett, 48, has already been traded as the most promising candidate. He has been a judge on an appeals court since 2017. The Catholic Barrett is known as an anti-abortionist. That makes his candidacy attractive to arch-conservative circles. At the Senate hearing for his current position, Barrett emphasized that he would only be guided by the law, not his faith.
The Supreme Court justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Republicans have a majority of 53 of the 100 seats in the House. Trump aims to fill Ginsburg’s job before the November 3 presidential election. So far, only two Republican senators have spoken out against such a swift decision. Democrats, by contrast, are demanding that the winner of the presidential election decide who will succeed Ginsburg.
Another factor contributing to the controversy surrounding Ginsburg’s successor was the fact that in 2016 Republicans in the Senate blocked a candidate from then-President Barack Obama to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated at the time, among other things, that the Senate should not hold any Supreme Court justice position in an election year. Now he has withdrawn that rule claiming that this time the White House and the Senate are in the hands of a single party.
Ginsburg died Friday of last week of complications from cancer. The 87-year-old was a liberal icon in America.