With the huge news that Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring from the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump announced that he will be choosing a new nominee “immediately.”
Kennedy’s retirement gives Trump the chance to cement conservative control of the high court, and carries ramifications that can last decades. Trump said his choice will come from a list of 25 possible nominees that he put out during his campaign and updated last fall.
On Wednesday, Trump is deflected a question on whether he should wait until after the midterm elections to announce a successor to retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Trump says in the Oval Office that he hasn’t “really thought about that. I think you want to go as quickly as possible.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says his chamber will vote this fall on President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Kennedy.
Says the Kentucky Republican, “It’s imperative that the president’s nominee be considered fairly and not subjected to personal attacks.”
McConnell added that he looks forward to another “outstanding selection” from Trump.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says it would be the “height of hypocrisy” for the Senate to vote on a new Supreme Court justice before the November midterm elections.
Schumer noted that Senate Republicans in 2016 refused to consider then-President Barack Obama’s court nominee, Merrick Garland, during the election year, leaving the seat vacant for President Donald Trump’s nominee of Neil Gorsuch in 2017.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell had blocked Garland’s nomination on grounds 2016 was a presidential election year, and the new president should have the opportunity to pick a justice.
Schumer said Wednesday the opening on the court from Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement is “the most important Supreme Court” vacancy in at least a generation. He said the voices of millions of Americans heading to the polls this fall “deserve to be heard.” The court’s make up will determine important issues, including reproductive rights.
(YWN / AP)
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7 Responses
Yes yes Chuck. Elections have consequences. The voters HAVE spoken. There are benefits of being in the majority. Despite what you and that rat Adam Schiff say, it all means nothing. You have NO power. The Republicans control the Congress and Senate and despite the democrat plant, Jeff Sessions, they will push their agenda thru. Too bad.
#Maxine Waters 2020
Shmock Schumer! Team up with your pals Polosi, Waters, and go play Bingo, so you can all stay with your Titles but not a Political Arena, just for a bingo game.
1. If the Republicans hold the Senate, by 2019 it will be significantly more conservative since two anti-Trump Republicans (Corker and Flake) are not running for re-election, and McCain is not likely to be around (though he does seem to be taking a long time to expire). In a vote in 2018, those three are a factor meaning that Trump probably will have to appoint someone acceptable to both the “moderate” Republicans and to at least some Democrats.
2. If the Democrats take the Senate in 2019, Trump will have to appoint someone who can get at least some Democratic support, which isn’t radically different.
THUS, it turns out that waiting until 2019 will increase the chance of an ultra-conservative (similar to Scalia) justice – if the Republicans hold the Senate since even if they hold by one-seat, it will be a more conservative Republican caucus. And if Trump is going to appoint a moderate conservative, it will be just as easy in 2018 as 2019. So actually, Schumer is shooting himself in the foot (typical), since if he does nothing he gets a moderate, and if he waits and wins he gets the same moderate, but if he waits and loses he gets an ultra-conservative.
McConnell, who is a moderate, is making the same calculation, which is why he wants the vote in 2018.
Mitch is consistently inconsistent
When the Republicans insisted that the new President be allowed to choose, it was a Presidential election year, not mid-terms, and Schumer complained. Yet, Clinton was the frontrunner, and many Democrats figured it was forgone that if Obama couldn’t be allowed to choose, than Hillary would choose. Fortunately, the country decided otherwise. Now we have upcoming mid-terms that the Dems hope will restore their majority in either House, then they can filibuster for a choice they prefer. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will be left in a state of no political / ideological majority, making them less effective, and giving liberals a stronger position, and that’s what the Dems want. Trump’s victory was built on many issues, and selecting these Judges was a key one. Don’t delay, move forward quickly. Thank you Pres. Trump for pre-publishing your list of candidates, so everyone has had plenty of time to evaluate them.
no reason for dems to want to delay.republicans will widen their lead SIGNIFICANTLY both in the house and the senate!!
cryin’ chuck will really have what to cry about!
Bader Ginsburg: Please emulate Anthony Kennedy immediately if not sooner, and especially well before midterm elections. We want a moral supreme court to herald Bi’as haMoshi’ach.