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President Donald Trump has promised to go ahead with a Supreme Court nomination “without delay” following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday night.
The president of the United States tweeted on Saturday that he considered an “obligation” to present a nominee, who if confirmed would tip the balance of the court decisively towards the conservatives.
Mr trump tweeted: “U.S [Republicans] They were placed in this position of power and decision-making importance by the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of whom has long been considered the selection of the justices of the United States Supreme Court. We have this obligation, without delay! “
His tweet came hours after Ginsburg died, aged 87, of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg was recognized for her long and successful legal career during which she championed equality for women.
Trump paid an enthusiastic tribute to Ginsburg on Friday night, saying in a statement that she “showed that one can disagree without being disagreeable with colleagues or with different points of view.”
But by Saturday morning, the president’s mind had turned to who could replace her in what would be the third nomination of his first term.
Mitch McConnell, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, has already said he would hold a vote to confirm whoever President Donald Trump would nominate, despite blocking one of Barack Obama’s nominees under similar circumstances in 2016. .
Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate judicial committee, who would lead the hearing process for any nominees, also pointed out Saturday that he would likely support a vote. Graham has previously argued against appointing a Supreme Court justice in an election year. But on Saturday she drew attention to comments she made earlier this year, saying it was different this time around because the Senate is controlled by the same party as the president.
Graham and McConnell’s comments leave a few Republican senators, who have also previously argued against appointing new justices in an election year, as the only potential stumbling block left to another Trump appointment.
Republicans have a majority of 53-47 in the Senate and need a simple majority to secure a Supreme Court appointment. Mike Pence, the vice president, would vote to break the deadlock in the event of a tie.
In a statement a few hours after Ginsburg’s death, McConnell said: “The Americans re-elected our [Senate] majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we committed to working with President Trump and supporting his agenda, particularly his prominent appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise. President Trump’s candidate will receive a vote in the plenary session of the United States Senate. ”
The president previously promised to fill any Supreme Court vacancies that arise in an election year, even though Senate Republicans blocked Obama from doing so in 2016 because the election was nine months away.
Securing a third seat in his presidency, following the appointments of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, would allow Trump to tip the court scale firmly in the direction of the Conservatives. Before Ginsburg’s death, there were five conservative judges and four liberals, although Gorsuch has recently sided with his liberal colleagues in important decisions such as ruling that companies cannot discriminate against gay people.
Filling the vacant Court seat before the US elections could have a generational impact on US politics and society. Conservatives have made it a priority to repeal Roe v Wade, the law that legalized abortion in the US and one of the most divisive decisions in American court history.
The Court could also play a pivotal role in adjudicating the outcome of a disputed election between Trump and Biden in November, as well as several key political decisions. The Court is expected to rule shortly on the future of the Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama’s signature health care program, which Republicans have promised to review and which will also play a decisive role in immigration, voting rights and the role of money in politics.
Several Republicans have previously said they did not support the confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice in an election year.
Among them are Susan Collins, the moderate Republican from Maine, Chuck Grassley, former chair of the Senate judicial committee, and Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski, the senator for Alaska, told an Alaska radio station hours before Ginsburg’s death was announced that she would not confirm a Supreme Court nominee this year.
Democrats were also closely watching Mitt Romney, the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial.
By Saturday morning, none of those senators had said how they would vote, and McConnell had reportedly asked Republican senators to keep the powder dry. Democrats were to meet later to decide their approach.
additional reports from Courtney Weaver in Washington
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