Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Republicans Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) have all said in the past that they would not vote to confirm a SCOTUS nominee in an election year.
Here is Graham in 2018:
At @TheAtlantic Festival on October 3rd, 2018, @LindseyGrahamSC said this to @JeffreyGoldberg:
“If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait to the next election.”pic.twitter.com/HisvknA7sY
— David Gura (@davidgura) September 19, 2020
In 2018, Grassley said about a potential 2020 vacancy:
Grassley cited the “Biden Rule” — a guideline stemming from a speech given by then-Senator Joe Biden in 1992 — which contends that a vacancy on the Supreme Court in a presidential election year should be left open so the American people can have a say in who makes the decision.
This rule was followed in 2016 when Grassley refused to hold hearings for Merrick Garland, then-President Barack Obama‘s nominee. If there is a vacancy in 2020, Grassley said he will follow the same rule, though he said both President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not agree with him.
Susan Collins said earlier this month that she would not vote to confirm a new Supreme Court justice in October because she feels that it is too close to the election:
News: @SenatorCollins told me earlier this month in Maine that she would not seat a Supreme Court justice in October.
“I think that’s too close, I really do,” she said.
She said she’d also oppose seating a justice in the lame duck if there’s a change in presidents.
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) September 19, 2020
Graham is tied with Democrat Jaime Harrison in South Carolina, Collins is trailing in her bid for reelection, and Grassley is not up for reelection.
Graham is likely to change his position. Grassley could change his, and Collins might refuse to vote for a nominee in October as her on last gasp gesture of moderation to save her Senate seat. Enough Republicans are on record as opposing jamming a Supreme Court nominee through that they could block Trump and McConnell’s plan, but the reality is that none of these spineless senators can be trusted and Democrats should be ready to fight.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow and Like PoliticusUSA on Facebook
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
- Trump Has Already Created A Problem For Mike Johnson In The House - Tue, Nov 12th, 2024
- Trump Expected To Make It Harder For Workers To Get Overtime Pay And Benefits - Mon, Nov 11th, 2024
- Democrats Have A Path To Power Against Trump On Government Funding - Mon, Nov 11th, 2024
