Collins: No Roe, no go
Court-pick warning
Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is expected to be a crucial vote in confirming a Supreme Court nominee, said Sunday that she would not support anyone who vowed to overturn the landmark decision legalizing abortion.
“A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have, and that would indicate to me a failure to respect precedent,” the Maine senator told ABC’s “This Week.”
Collins, who is pro-choice, said her support for a nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy hinges on whether the person respects legal precedent.
“I’m going to have an in-depth discussion with the nominee, and I believe very much that Roe v. Wade is settled law, as it has been described by Chief Justice [John] Roberts,” she said. “It has been established as a constitutional right for . . . 45 years and was reaffirmed 26 years ago.”
Also on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that Roe v. Wade shouldn’t be overturned “unless there is good reason.”
“I would tell my pro-life friends: You can be pro-life and conservative, but you can also believe in stare decisis,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” referring to the legal principle of following established precedent.
President Trump said he would “probably not” ask potential nominees how they would rule on Roe v. Wade, but noted, “I’m putting conservative people on.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be so specific,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday on “Fox Morning Futures,” adding that abortion rights may end up being decided by state courts.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) warned lawmakers in both parties that a vote for a justice who reverses Roe v. Wade could have serious political consequences.
“If they vote for somebody who’s going to change precedent, it could be a career-ending move,” she told “Meet the Press.”
Kennedy, 81, was a swing vote on a number of high-profile cases, and many believe the court will lean more conservative and overturn past rulings after he retires.
Trump said he has narrowed down his list of possible nominees to about five, including two women. He said he intends to an- nounce the nominee July 9.
Republicans, who control the Senate by 51-49, need only a simple majority to confirm Trump’s pick. But that already slim margin would narrow to 50-49 if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has brain cancer, is unable to vote.
In the meantime, Republicans and Democrats are pursuing Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska), who is also pro-choice, for their votes.
They are also lobbying Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.), who are up for re-election in states carried by Trump in 2016.
The two men, with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), voted to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump chose in January 2017 to replace the late Antonin Scalia.