Posted on 09/18/2020 8:20:19 PM PDT by lightman
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death leaves a vacancy on the nation’s highest court, and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. wants the Senate to wait until after the election to vote on her replacement.
Casey, D-Pa., called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to follow the precedent he set four years ago. In 2016, McConnell and Senate Republicans refused a vote on President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland.
“Consistent with the precedent set by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016, Justice Ginsburg’s seat should not be filled until the presidential election concludes and the candidate chosen by voters is sworn into office," Casey said in a statement late Friday night.
Ginsburg died Friday night at the age of 87. Hours after her death was announced, McConnell said the Senate will indeed vote on a nominee put forward by President Donald Trump.
Obama named Garland as his nominee following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a powerful conservative figure on the court. McConnell said in 2016, the Republican Senate was working with a Democratic president in the final year of his administration. Now, a Republican Senate works with a Republican president.
“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said in a statement issued Friday night.
Now, the timing is different related to the election. Obama submitted Garland’s nomination in March 2016, eight months before the election. This year, a vacancy on the Supreme Court has emerged less than seven weeks until the presidential election.
If Trump submits a nominee, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., looms as a critical vote.
In 2016, Toomey said the Senate shouldn’t vote on Garland’s nomination. He said at the time, the vote on Garland could change the ideological balance of the Supreme Court. Months before the election, Toomey said in an opinion piece Americans should decide on the next president first.
"First, the balance of the Supreme Court is at stake, and we have an election right around the corner. With lifetime tenure, the next justice will determine the Court’s balance for a generation.
“In that light, I believe it is sensible to allow the American people to participate in the choice of Justice Scalia’s successor less than seven months from now.”
Toomey also said he was troubled by aspects of Garland’s record, consistently backing federal environmental regulations in court challenges.
An attempt to reach Toomey’s office for a statement late Friday night was not immediately successful.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said the Senate shouldn’t act on a nominee until after the election.
“Tonight, and in the coming days, we should be focused on the loss of Justice Ginsburg and her enduring legacy," Biden said in a statement. “But just so there is no doubt, let me be clear: The voters should pick a President, and that President should select a successor to Justice Ginsburg."
“This was the position that the Republican Senate took in 2016, when there were nearly nine months before the election," Biden said. "That is the position the United States Senate must take now, when the election is less than two months away. We are talking about the Constitution and the Supreme Court. That institution should not be subject to politics.”
Schumer wouldn’t hesitate if he controlled the Senate and a democrat was president. Neither should McConnell.
Pennlive commies are starting to rival the Hill here.
I think we should “not let a crisis go to waste.” This is definitely a crisis for the leftists...
Like NanFranFreako says...embrace the suck.
Nancy won't be agreeing to any phase 4 Covid relief bill.
He continued: “Every nominee, including Justice Kennedy in an election year, got an up-and-down vote. Not much of the time. Not most of the time, every single solitary time. To now hear all this talk about the Biden rule, it's frankly ridiculous. There is no Biden rule, it doesn't exist.”
Methinks in her case its more like "embrace the blow".
Another corruptocrat
If you can impeach during an election year
You can accept another opponent Justice during
an election year
Definitive case for immediately filling the open seat on the Supreme Court https://t.co/dXCwBYUosZ— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) September 18, 2020
I was picturing her prune face, actually....not her fake hair.
No gasbag, the senate was republican, obama a demorat. Therein lies the difference.
Now they are both republican and an appointment must be made.
Convince me if it was a dem president and a dem senate that they would wait.
GIMME A BREAK!!— AZKayte (@AZKAYTE) September 19, 2020
Pretty much.
We’ll see if Mitch has balls....he needs to put on his alpha male pants.
I feel the squish coming on....
he needs to put on his alpha male pants.
********
Those wont fit over the Depends anymore.
And if we lose the senate? What a moron.
YOWZA!
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