Trump set to unveil Supreme Court pick
Republicans pledge to speed up process
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will announce his pick on Saturday for the crucial Supreme Court seat left open by the death of justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and his Republican Party vowed a quick vote to confirm the nominee.
Democratic opponents, led by presidential candidate Joe Biden, have demanded that Republicans back off on replacing Ginsburg — who died last week — until after the Nov 3 election, when they’ll know whether Mr Trump is getting a second term.
Republicans are ignoring this, giving Mr Trump, who has already replaced two other justices, a chance to tilt the nation’s highest court to the right for decades to come, whether he beats Mr Biden or not.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, Mr Trump said he would reveal his nominee at 5pm Washington time on Saturday at the White House.
“We’re going to pick a great woman,” he said to chants of “Fill that seat!” from the crowd. “We have great support from the Republican Party.”
Mr Trump indicated he would hold off on announcing his choice until the end of the week out of respect for the memorial services for Ginsburg taking place in the capital.
He has pledged to choose a woman for the lifetime post.
Leaders of the Republican majority in the Senate, which is tasked with confirming court nominees, said they have enough support to hold a vote on the nomination either before the election or at worst during the “lame-duck” session between the election and the inauguration of the next president in January.
“We will certainly do that this year,” Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said.
Although two Republican senators said they believed the upper chamber of Congress should not vote at all before the election, the party’s 53-47 majority is still just big enough to go ahead.
One of the other key potential Republican holdouts, frequent Mr Trump critic Mitt Romney, said on Tuesday he would move ahead with the process.
“If the nominee reaches the Senate floor, I intend to vote based upon their qualifications,” Mr Romney said.
The statement was welcomed by Mr Trump, as Mr Romney was the only Republican senator to vote for impeaching the president.
Democrats argue that any Senate vote should be delayed until after the election has made clear who will lead the country from 2021.
They cite the example of 2016 when Democratic president Barack Obama’s nominee to replace justice Antonin Scalia months before the election did not even get a hearing in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“Why should the American people trust the Republican senators to do anything they say when they are proving right now that their speeches mean nothing the moment the shoe is on the other foot,” the Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said.
Republicans say that with their control of the White House and the Senate right now, they have the right to fill court seats at any time they wish.
Adding to tensions, there is fear that leaving Ginsburg’s seat unfilled — reducing the court to eight justices — raises the possibility of a 4-4 tie in the event of rulings related to election disputes.