Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, liberals have been threatening extreme action if President Donald Trump attempts to replace her on the high court before the presidential election.
Senate Republicans need a minimum of 50 votes to confirm a nominee to replace Ginsburg. Currently there are 53 Republicans in the Senate, but two—Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine—have already said they oppose a vote on Ginsburg’s replacement before the election. This means Republicans can only afford to lose two more votes to confirm a new justice, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence.
Many were worried that moderate Mitt Romney would thwart the process by opposing a vote. However, Romney said this morning that he supports holding a vote on Trump’s nominee as soon as possible.
According to Politico [1], “Romney said he would support a floor vote on President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court, essentially clinching consideration of Trump’s nominee this year despite the impending election.”
“I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent in considering the president’s nominee. If the nominee reaches the Senate floor, I intend to vote based upon their qualifications,” the Utah Republican said in a statement.
Romney said he was following the law by considering a nominee. He added that the “historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing party’s nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own.”
The president said on Twitter that his nominee will be announced over the weekend.