DON ‘COURTS’ ELEX TURMOIL
Says he’s pushing through replacement for Ruth because Supremes may decide next prez
President Trump pressed the case Wednesday that it’s critical to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before November’s election because he claimed the Supreme Court will likely have to decide who won, injecting more doubt into an already chaotic race for the White House.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said he expects the results of the Nov. 3 election to end up in the Supreme Court because states are perpetrating a “scam” by making mail-in voting widely available amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“This scam that the Democrats are pulling — it’s a scam — the scam will be before the United States Supreme Court, and I think having a 4-4 situation is not a good situation, if you get that,” Trump said, referring to the makeup of the court with Ginsburg’s seat vacant. “Just in case it would be more political than it should be, I think it’s very important to have a ninth justice.”
There’s no evidence for Trump’s frequent fraud fretting, and mail-in ballots have actually proven remarkably secure, with dozens of states expanding access during this year’s primaries to make voting safer during the pandemic.
It’s not just Democrat-led states that have made the mailin option more available, either. Plenty of red states are following suit as well, including Utah,
Iowa and Ohio.
Nonetheless, Trump has for months claimed mail-in voting will result in the election being “rigged” for the Democrats in an apparent attempt to lay the groundwork for contesting the results if Joe Biden wins.
In a combative press conference later Wednesday, Trump offered an ominous response when asked how he would ensure a peaceful transition of power if Biden claims victory.
“There won’t be a transfer, frankly,” he said. “There will be a continuation.”
As Trump kept pushing his unfounded voter fraud fears, thousands of Ginsburg admirers gathered a few blocks away outside the Supreme Court to honor the Brooklyn-born liberal superstar, who died Friday after a long battle with cancer.
Ginsburg’s flag-draped casket lied in repose at the top of the steps to the court, as face maskclad family members, colleagues, lawmakers and Americans from all walks of life stopped by to pay their respects.
Lauren Holtzblatt, Ginsburg’s rabbi, started off the solemn ceremony by reading the Jewish prayer of mourning.
Bill and Hillary Clinton were among the first prominent politicians to stop by.
Other notables included Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who attended the same Brooklyn high school as Ginsburg — as well as the eight other justices of the Supreme Court.
Staying clear of the political hurricane sweeping the capital in the wake of Ginsburg’s death, Chief Justice John Roberts delivered brief remarks, in which he described his late colleague as “tough, brave, a fighter, a winner.”
“The voice in court and in our conference room was soft. But when she spoke, people listened,” Roberts said.
Ginsburg will also lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Thursday, when Trump is expected to stop by. The justice will then lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, the first woman ever to be given that honor.
Trump is expected to unveil his pick to replace Ginsburg on Saturday — before the justice has even been buried.
During his remarks in the Cabinet Room, Trump reaffirmed he’s considering five women candidates.
“They are all world class and brilliant in every respect,” he said.
Illinois U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett has reportedly emerged as one of Trump’s favorites.
Barrett, who was hand-picked to her current judgeship by Trump, holds deeply conservative views
on abortion and once said that a career in law is a means to an end of “building the kingdom of God.”
Once Trump names his pick, Senate Republicans have vowed to move quickly in hopes of getting the nominee confirmed by Nov. 3. According to sources, GOP leaders are planning to start confirmation hearings the week of Oct. 12, leaving a very narrow window for the Senate to approve Trump’s nominee before the election.
If the Senate confirms Barrett or another right-wing jurist, the
Supreme Court’s conservatives will dominate the bench 6-3. Liberals fear the conservatives will use that solid majority to undo the Affordable Care Act, chip away at abortion rights and target a slate of other progressive issues.
Democrats are incensed, as Republicans refused to even hold a confirmation hearing on Merrick Garland in 2016 because they claimed it was too close to that year’s election when President Barack Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court 237 days before it.
Trump will nominate his pick 38 days before the 2020 election.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, signaled that his members will do their damnedest to delay the nominating process since the prospect of confirmation could dim if a vote is held after the election.
“The notion that we can in four or five weeks do this anticipates a lot of things just clicking in place,” Durbin told reporters.