Senate Republicans held a Supreme Court seat vacant for the next president. Now that it’s President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican majority in the Senate, what happens next? The election results end the hopes for President Barack Obama’s long-languishing pick for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland, since Republicans still control the Senate’s confirmation process. Donald Trump released a list of 21 potential Supreme Court nominees who were generally met with approval by conservative lawmakers, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will continue to hold the high court seat vacant for a Trump pick.
At stake is the ideological balance of the Supreme Court for decades. A Trump win eliminates the potential for the first liberal majority since 1970. In addition to the current vacancy, three justices are older than 78 and could leave the court during the Trump administration — meaning Trump would be able to recast the Supreme Court for a generation with his choices.
Trump said repeatedly in stump speeches that preventing liberal justices from being appointed to the court was a reason conservatives should vote for him, particularly on gun rights.
“They’ll respect the Second Amendment and what it stands for, what it represents,” Trump said during a debate.
That sets up a major confirmation fight for more than just Trump’s choice to fill the seat of the late Antonin Scalia, the reliably conservative justice who died Feb. 13. That pick would likely come early in 2017. Democrats are unlikely to forget the GOP’s historic stonewalling of the Garland nomination for what would be nearly 300 days — and are equally unlikely to help confirm a nominee they fear could undo court rulings on key issues such as abortion rights.
But incoming Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York and his fellow Democrats have some political calculations to make if they face more than one vacancy during the 115th Congress. If they filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court pick, McConnell and Republicans could use the so-called nuclear option to change Senate rules and eliminate the filibuster for the high court. That would mean a simple majority instead of 60 votes to allow for a confirmation vote. Democrats eliminated the filibuster rules in 2013 for lower court picks.
Trump said during the debates that his appointees would be “pro-life,” pro-gun rights and “interpret the Constitution the way the founders wanted it interpreted” — a message the Republican has stuck to on the campaign trail. It’s also a judicial quality conservatives have championed for decades.
“I don’t think we should have justices appointed that decide what they want to hear,” Trump said.
Trump put out a list of 11 potential Supreme Court judges in June, which McConnell said were “right-of-center, well-qualified judges.” The list included conventional choices such as Thomas Lee, a Utah Supreme Court justice and the brother of Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee.
“I think that issue alone should comfort people in voting for Donald Trump for president,” McConnell said in an interview with NPR at the time.
Trump in September released a list of 10 additional potential picks that helped garner the support of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., a former challenger for the Republican presidential nomination. The second list included Mike Lee and Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady, a Republican member of the House from 1993 to 2001 who helped manage impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton.
Good luck. the Democrats will stick together and will filibuster any judge Trump puts up until they get their way. Since the Republicans have no spine they will bow to the Democrat instead of doing what the Democrats would in the same situation and that would be to do away with the filibuster to get the an honest jurist on the courts.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE OLD STATEMENT…WE MISSED THE BULLET …WELL FOLKS THIS ELECTION WAS THE BIGGEST BULLET EVER FIRED AT US AND ALL THE DEMS THOUGHT IT WAS A LEAD PIPE CINCH THAT HILLARY WAS A SHOE IN. WELL DO NOT COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY GET ELECTED… AND PRAY THAT TRUMP PUTS PEOPLE ON THE SUPREME COURT THAT WILL UPHOLD AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND NOT FORGET IT LIKE SO MANY POLITICIANS HAVE DONE THE MINUTE THEY FINISH THEIR OATH OF OFFICE.
I remember in 2007-2008 when the U.S.A. was losing 750,000 jobs a month. I suspect we will look back at that as the good old days. Trump will cut taxes for the rich and the idiots (yes you) who voted for him will pay more in taxes and will NOT find a better America. Sorry folks, those jobs he goes on about are NOT coming back.
Medicare and Medicaid – gone or gutted. Head of Household deduction – gone. Yes, your taxes will go up. Meanwhile TRUMP and his kids will reap BILLIONS in profits on his inside business moves. The corruption is already happening.
I bought an AR-15 to protect my First Ammendment Rights. I pay my tax ( unlike Trump ), and I will exercise my rights as I see fit.
Take a picture of the unemployment rate, gas prices, and the stock market. Compare that in 4 years. Oh, and you better buy one of those video series How to Speak Russian in 30 days.
Enjoy your beloved Clinton fantasy. Put a picture of that wrinkled, screeching hag on your mantle like people in the 60s did with JFK, who by the way couldn’t get a nomination for dog catcher in the corrupt, elitist cadre of arrogant stooges called the DNC. Democrats did this to themselves. The wacked out lunatics the likes of Obama, Pelosi, Wassermann-Schultz, Holder, Brazille and now Keith Ellison and Howard Dean. Please, Oh Please, keep Marxist radicals leading your so called “party.”
The only part of your comment I agree with is “Take a picture of the unemployment rate, gas prices, and the stock market. Compare that in 4 years.” That statement alone says no one knows what will happen, it all comes down to belief. I believe Trump will be successful in making that picture much brighter and you do not. So in 4 years we will all know who was right. Also, I have a feeling that you will change the way you feel about Trump as well.
With respect, please only speak for yourself. “We” are the ones that will make American great again. With the help of faith in God, and some trust in our government. Don’t come here to insult us. You evidentially don’t blog here often. You call us idiots??? You will find out that you will be put in your place.
OK folks give him the double barrel treatment! Ney sayers are few here.
Trump= good chance
Hillary= zero chance
I would just remind everyone that we’re not there yet. These so-called “protests” are the work of anarchists bought and paid for by, some say, George Soros. The anarchists are publically supported by that POS still in the White House.
I don’t know what their plan is, but the liberal communists have something up their sleeve.
A quote from yesterday, “keep your expectations reasonable and your powder dry”.
POS? Is that Pawn of Satan? OR ??? Piece of crap?
Remember that IF the Senate is adjourned over TEN DAYS he can AND WILL appoint the Supreme Court Judge of HIS choice EVEN HIMSELF.
It i s our duty to remind the senators that Mr. McConnel must keep the window of that opportunity closed.
Only Mr. McConnel can keep the senate active every 8-9 days to avoid the ten day adjournment ability.
If President Elect Trump does not follow through with the campaign promise of Constitutional based appointees, we are gonna fire him! The people have spoken, and he needs to listen. The teachings and writings of our founders cannot be “interpreted”. The messages are very clear what the vision and the purpose of each and every one of the amendments called the Bill of Rights. Liberals, Democrats specifically, have twisted and convoluted the words of our founders. Now is the time to hear the words, unaltered and meaningful in their original content and ideology. Someday, may ALL the people will understand the words for what they say. We came very close to loosing our Republic to Socialism, we must all be diligent and NEVER quit battling for a truly free country. Join the NRA, keep an eye on your right to free speech and USE IT. Let’s start cleaning the liberal teachers out of our higher education system and stop them from preaching Socialist ideology instead of teaching our young to be productive citizens.
GOD, (yes I said GOD) BLESS AMERICA.
Long may she stand for TRUTH and FREEDOM.
Getting the Liberal teachers out of our schools and colleges is one of the most important things Donald Trump could do. If this doesn’t happen we could still kiss our freedoms good buy. Mr Trump needs to do a thorough cleaning of this country or these communist thinkers will come right back in our face and bite us!!!
I would hope the choices for the supreme court will be right of center especially on issues involving abortion. I hope and pray those who become Supreme Court Judges are pro life and pro Second Amendment.
Hope Ginsberg hangs in there a couple more months, NOT….But at this point…what difference would it make? Obama couldn’t get Garland through, guess that would just be one less Pro Baby Killing vote. My opinion is if you want to murder your unborn human child, go to Mexico, or the Hollyweird favorite destination Canada. The child will be 7 years old by the time the mother actually gets to the Clinic appointment as set by their Healthcare system.