President Trump announces when he plans to name his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg



President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday that he intends to announce his nominee for the vacant Supreme Court seat formerly held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday.

In a statement posted from his Twitter account, Trump stated that he would announce his nominee from the White House, but noted that the specific time is yet to be determined.

I will be announcing my Supreme Court Nominee on Saturday, at the White House! Exact time TBA.
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1600782127.0

It is widely anticipated that Trump's nominee will be either Amy Coney Barrett, who currently serves as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, or Barbara Lagoa, who currently serves as a judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Most observers believe that Barrett is the favorite to receive the nomination, particularly after news broke that Trump met with her on Monday. Trump has indicated that he also might have a face-to-face meeting with Lagoa when he travels to Florida later this week.

Regardless of who Trump ultimately picks, his nominee is sure to be fought tooth and nail by Democrats, who remain furious that Merrick Garland was not given a hearing after former President Barack Obama nominated him to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia after Scalia's death in 2016. Democrats have already begun to attack the records of Barrett and Lagoa, and Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) have promised that they will not support any nominee until after the election.

Despite those defections, it looks increasingly likely that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will be able to cobble together enough votes to ensure that President Trump's nominee will receive a full hearing and floor vote, absent any surprise defections or damaging revelations during the confirmation process.

Biden refuses to say if he'd pack the Supreme Court with liberals if Republicans fill Ginsburg's seat



Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden refused to say whether he'd sign on to a plan to pack the Supreme Court with more liberal justices if the Republicans are able to fill late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the high court.

The former vice president made the comments on Monday in an interview with WBAY-TV.

"Let me tell you why I'm not gonna answer that question. Because it would shift all the focus," Biden said.

Democrats have tried to pressure the Republicans against trying to fill the seat, vacated by Ginsburg's death, by threatening to expand the court and pack it with more liberal justices. The Constitution does not stipulate how many justices should be on the Supreme Court.

"That's what he wants, he never wants to talk about the issue at hand he always tries to change the subject," Biden said of the president.

"But let's say I answer that question, then the whole debate's gonna be about what Biden said or didn't say. Biden said he would or wouldn't," he explained.

"The discussion should be about why he's moving in a direction totally that's totally inconsistent with what the founders wanted. The design in the Constitution it says, the design, voters get to pick the president, who gets to make the pick, and the Senate gets to decide," Biden said.

"We're in the middle of an election right now, you know, people are voting now. By the time this Supreme Court hearing would be held if they hold one, we'd in fact, we'd probably, there's estimated 30 to 40 percent of the American people would already have voted," he continued.

"It is a fundamental breach of constitutional principle," Biden concluded.

On Monday, the Republicans in the Senate appear to have enough support from their party to move ahead with the nomination process once the president makes it.

"We've got the votes to confirm Justice Ginsburg's replacement before the election, we're going to move forward in the committee, we're going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Here's the video of Biden's comments:

Biden to @WBAY declines to answer q on adding seats to SCOTUS if GOP replaces RBG"It’s a legitimate question, but… https://t.co/YWznHyW9k3
— Johnny Verhovek (@Johnny Verhovek)1600741371.0

Breaking: Mitch McConnell has enough support for nomination to the Supreme Court after statements from Grassley and Gardner



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will likely be able to push the Senate to consider a nomination to the Supreme Court after several Republicans made statements of support on Monday.

Democrats and their supporters were hopeful that enough moderates would break from the party line in order to doom the effort to fill the seat left empty by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said in a statement that he would not stand in the way of another nomination by President Donald Trump.

"Over the years, and as recently as July, I've consistently said that taking up and evaluating a nominee in 2020 would be a decision for the current chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Senate Majority Leader," Grassley said in the statement.

"Both have confirmed their intentions to move forward, so that's what will happen. Once the hearings are underway, it's my responsibility to evaluate the nominee on the merits, just as I always have. The Constitution gives the Senate that authority, and the American people's voices in the most recent election couldn't be clearer," he continued.

"While there was ambiguity about the American people's will for the direction of the Supreme Court in 2016 under a divided government, there is no such ambiguity in 2020," Grassley added.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, informed members of the committee on Saturday that he would hold confirmation hearings for the nomination.

'Senate must decided how to best fulfill its constitutional duty'

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado also said that he would not stand in the way of a nomination.

"When a President exercises constitutional authority to nominate a judge for the Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate must decided how to best fulfill its constitutional duty of advice and consent," Gardner said.

"I have and will continue to support judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and uphold the law," he concluded. "Should a qualified nominee who meets this criteria be put forward, I will vote to confirm."

A heated debate

Democrats have argued that if Republicans were to push a nomination that it would be hypocritical because of McConnell's refusal to consider former President Barack Obama's nomination so close to the 2016 election.

Republicans have countered that the history of nominations to the Supreme Court offers precedence for senators of the same party as the president to have the mandate from the people to move forward on a nomination.

"[M]ake no mistake: if the shoe were on the other foot, Senate Democrats wouldn't hesitate to use their Constitutional authority and anything else at their disposal to fill this seat," Grassley said.

Republicans have a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate, but Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have already said they would not support a nomination before the election.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has not made a statement about his position in the debate, but if no other Republicans go against the party line, a tie in the Senate would lead to a tiebreaker vote from Vice President Mike Pence.

Here's more about the nomination debate:

Trey Gowdy: Supreme Court politics has changed since Kavanaughwww.youtube.com

Republican Sen. Susan Collins breaks with party, says presidential election winner should make Supreme Court nomination



Republican Senator Susan Collins (Maine) said that the next Supreme Court nominee should be selected by whoever wins the November presidential election, breaking rank with the GOP leadership and President Donald Trump on the replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"In order for the American people to have in their elected officials, we must act fairly and consistently -- no matter which political party is in power," Collins wrote in a statement released on Saturday afternoon. "President Trump has the constitutional authority to make a nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, and I would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee's beginning the process of reviewing his nominee's credentials."

"Given the proximity of the presidential election, however, I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election. In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected in November 3," Collins said on Twitter.

My statement on the Supreme Court vacancy: https://t.co/jvYyDN5gG4
— Sen. Susan Collins (@Sen. Susan Collins)1600546429.0

On Friday, Collins paid tribute to RBG.

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a trailblazer for women's rights, a fierce champion for equality and an extremely accomplished American who broke countless barriers in the field of law," Collins said in a statement. "Throughout her life, Justice Ginsburg surmounted discrimination and sexism through her brilliance, tenacity and wit, becoming one of the most prominent legal luminaries of our time."

"I had the great honor of getting to know Justice Ginsburg personally when the women Senators twice had dinner with her and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor," Collins continued. "She has been a role model to generations of women, and her legacy will live on in the countless people she inspired."

Collins, who is seeking a fifth term, is facing a tough reelection battle. A poll from The New York Times and Siena College released on Friday has Collins trailing her Democratic challenger, Maine state House Speaker Sara Gideon, 49% to Collins' 44%. A Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this week showed Gideon with a wide 54% to 42% lead over Collins.

In 2018, Collins voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and has received blowback in Maine for her decision.

Hours after the announcement of Ginsburg's death on Friday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed to hold a vote for Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

"The Senate and the nation mourn the sudden passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the conclusion of her extraordinary American life," McConnell said. "In the last midterm election before Justice Scalia's death in 2016, Americans elected a Republican Senate majority because we pledged to check and balance the last days of a lame-duck president's second term. We kept our promise."

"President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate," McConnell said.

On Saturday, Trump showed that he would go ahead and nominate a Supreme Court justice despite the election being only 45 days away.

"@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices," the president tweeted. "We have this obligation, without delay!"

Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also said that she would not support voting on a Supreme Court Justice this close to the election. Murkowski reportedly said, "Fair is fair," a reference to Republican senators not allowing a hearing for former President Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland before the 2016 election.

The Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, and McConnell can only afford to lose the support of three GOP Senators, which could include Mitt Romney of Utah. If a 50-50 tie happens, Vice President Mike Pence could break the tie and allow Republicans to nominate a SCOTUS justice.