Spotlight turns to GOP women in Supreme Court fight

WASHINGTON — A spotlight quickly focused on two Republican senators Thursday in the fight to come over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nomination — Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, whose support for abortion access will reverberate throughout the debate.

Every vote matters in the narrowly divided chamber, and the two women are already facing enormous pressure. Activist groups, particularly those aligned with Democrats, want them to rule out voting for a conservative nominee who might make precedentshattering court decisions on abortion, gay marriage and other social issues.

Murkowski, of Alaska, made no such promise. But she vowed a careful vetting of President Donald Trump's pick, saying she has “extremely high” standards for the court and the person who will replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

“There is no doubt that the president's nominee to succeed Justice Kennedy can expect exacting scrutiny from the Senate and that is the standard I will apply in evaluating the nominee,” she said.

Collins, meanwhile, declared that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that codified abortion rights is “settled law.”

“I always look for judges who respect precedent,” the Maine senator said.

Trump is expected to announce his nominee within a few weeks. In the meantime, advocacy groups are wasting no time jumping into the emerging campaign for Kennedy's replacement, who could tip the court's balance toward conservatives for years to come.

In general, conservatives are pushing for speedy confirmation before the November congressional elections. But some in the GOP are looking to the political impact of a prolonged confirmation battle to drive up voter turnout.

Trump said Kennedy's decision to retire at this point “showed confidence in us” to make a good choice for his successor.

Democrats argue that confirmation action should be put on hold until after the elections. They are citing Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell's successful block of President Barack Obama's nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, in 2016.