Focus in court fight turns to GOP women
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 precedent-shattering court decisions on abortion, gay marriage and other social issues.
Murkowski, of Alaska, made no such promise. But she vowed a careful vetting of the person President Donald Trump picks, 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 to reporters.
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 con- gressional 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 the 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.
McConnell says the situations are not the same.
“This is not 2016. There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term,” McConnell said.
Whatever the timing, the confirmation fight is likely to consume the Senate through fall and become a defining issue for the midterm election battleground.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the second-ranking Republican, noted the pressure.
“On the outside there’s going to be World War III,” he said.
Cornyn, who is the Senate GOP’s chief vote counter, said he was confident in holding the Republican majority, including Collins and Murkowski, behind Trump’s eventual nominee. He suggested several Democratic senators would cross over for bipartisan support.
“Every senator’s got to make up their own mind,” he said.
Republican colleagues of Collins and Murkowski did not doubt their resolve to vote as they see fit.
“Listen, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins can handle pressure,” said Marco Rubio of Florida. “They’re going to do what they believe is right. They’re not going to respond to pressure from either side.”
Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, and it’s even close because of the absence of ailing Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Even though Republican leader McConnell changed Senate rules last year to allow confirmation by simple majority, if Democrats hold together he cannot afford defections. Vice President Mike Pence can be called on to break a tie.
Last year, Trump’s first nominee to the court, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed 54-45, with three Democrats voting in favor.
Those Democrats — Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota— all are facing difficult re-election races and could find it difficult to oppose the president’s second pick.
Manchin indicated Thursday he was keeping an open mind.
“I just think you have to go through a process,” he said. “I want qualifications. Somebody that’s well qualified, understands the Constitution and the rule of law.”
Trump’s legislative director Marc Short said the White House has begun conversations with several Senate offices. Donnelly would not say whether that has included him.