Republicans approve replacement of judge before 3:27 elections
(CNN) -
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said Tuesday that he agrees with the Senate accepting a new candidate for the Supreme Court during the current election year, an announcement that almost ensures that a candidate presented by President Donald Trump will be confirmed barring possible stumbling blocks from the designee during the confirmation process.
In a statement, Romney raised no objection to holding a vote on a Trump candidate this year, saying, "If the candidate reaches the Senate, I intend to vote based on his qualifications."
With the momentum of their effort to achieve a quick vote, Republican leaders are now making it clear that they are pushing for the appointment to be confirmed before Election Day, which would amount to one of the fastest appointment procedures of the modern times.
And it comes despite the refusal of Senate Republicans to approve the appointment of Merrick Garland by then-President Barack Obama to a seat in 2016 when they said his election, eight months before November, was too close to the election.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN on Tuesday: "I think it would be a good idea to move on."
He said the timing is not yet defined and that Republican senators will discuss it at lunch on Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fully defended his decision to move quickly with a Supreme Court confirmation process so close to an election.
"Going forward with a vote on the next Supreme Court appointment will be consistent with both history and precedent," McConnell said in courtroom remarks.
McConnell and other Republicans have been defending themselves against the Democrats' accusations of hypocrisy about moving forward with a new designation now after blocking Obama's candidate to the superior court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016.
The high-stakes election-year battle over the addition of a new Supreme Court judge can have profound consequences, both for the court as it propels it in a more conservative direction over the next several decades and for the ongoing struggle for control of the Supreme Court. Congress and the White House.
Senate Republicans are now laying the groundwork for a speedy voting and confirmation process, including planning confirmation hearings in October.
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Lindsey Graham, said Tuesday that the commission plans to hold three days of hearings for the court candidate in October.
"Yeah, trying to keep the process like we've done before," said Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, when asked if the commission will hold three days of hearings.
Thune said he hopes that once the Senate finalizes the government funding bill, either this week or next, most senators will leave the city for much of October, as planned before the passing. of the late Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Senators running for reelection are eager to go home to campaign.
How long does it take to confirm a magistrate in the Supreme Court?
2:33
Meanwhile, members of the Judicial Commission will work to prepare for the hearings, meet with the candidate, and eventually call hearings.
A new Supreme Court justice before Nov. 3 could have important implications for future court decisions on health care or any election-year disputes.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to make his announcement Saturday at the White House.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals judge and Notre Dame law professor, is currently considered the top candidate.
Graham, who is running for reelection, praised Barrett and told reporters, "I think it would be a great choice."
Romney said of Barrett when asked for his opinion: “I have not reviewed his court file at this point.
And I will hope to do it if she is the candidate.
When asked by CNN if - if Barrett is elected - that would bring the abortion issue front and center in the election, Graham downplayed the possibility and replied, "I think all issues are going to be thrown at the candidate. ».
Currently, there are 53 Republican senators, meaning Republicans can only lose three votes to advance the nomination if Vice President Mike Pence steps in to cast a tiebreaker vote.
So far, only two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins, who faces a competitive reelection fight in Maine, have voiced their opposition to voting for whoever Trump appoints to fill the vacant seat of the late Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the 3 of November.
It is not clear if there will be more defections from within the ranks of the Republican Party.
Adding further momentum to the Supreme Court's confirmation in the election year, Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia also spoke Tuesday in favor of moving forward with the process.
"President Trump and the Republican Senate, both elected by the American people, should act to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the passing of Justice Ginsburg," the West Virginia Republican wrote in a statement Tuesday.
Romney declined Tuesday to discuss the hypothesis of a lame duck session vote on the vacant seat if Trump loses the election.
"I am not going to consider all the hypotheses that could occur," he said.
"But I have explained what I intend to do and that would be ... without depending on the moment."
Pressed further, Romney responded, "I have indicated that what I intend to do is continue with the consideration process and if a candidate reaches the full Senate, I will vote and based on that candidate's qualifications."
CNN's Ted Barrett and Ali Zaslav contributed to this report.
