Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies, setting up possible nomination fight

Trump is expected to nominate a replacement as soon as next week, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., immediately vowed to hold a Senate confirmation vote. But it generally takes more than two months to reach that point, which would put Republicans beyond Election Day, when their 53-47 majority is in jeopardy.

If the vote was to happen during the “lame duck” session in November or December, the chances for confirmation likely would depend on whether Trump wins re-election and Republicans maintain their Senate majority. They could plow ahead in defeat up until Jan. 3, but if four Senate Republicans desert the cause, they would fall short.

National Public Radio reported that Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter shortly before her death, in which she said: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden agreed. “There is no doubt … that the voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider,” he said. “This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016, when there were almost 10 months to go before the election.”

via www.usatoday.com