That's because the sentence is as confused as your thought process.
The last SCOTUS confirmation was in August of 2010. Exactly how would the nomination or election of any Republican have affected the Supreme Court's decisions during this term?
Oh I dunno. Stopping them? constitutionally restricting their abuses of power? You can’t do that when the lesser evils elected by other lesser evils are actually greater evils can you? Nope. But people were to damn proud and self centered to read their damn history.
You find such a basic concept a confused thought? It didn’t confuse the founders, which is why they gave Congress the power to do it.