Experts say President Trump looks to name Ginsburg's Supreme Court successor with "unprecedented" speed

A White House advisor says the plan is to announce a SCOTUS pick before the first presidential debate, which is set for Sept. 29.

News 12 Staff

Sep 20, 2020, 2:17 AM

Updated 1,480 days ago

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With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's passing so close to the November election, comes the political battle to fill her seat on the Supreme Court.
By all accounts, Ginsburg lived a remarkable legal and personal life, serving nearly three decades on the bench, championing causes for gay rights, and racial and gender equality.
Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short ahead of the election.
"Now, we're talking about 46 days before the election, and this is unprecedented. They've never had a Supreme Court justice nominee come through in less than 70 days," says attorney Michael Mosberg. Ginsburg led the court's liberal wing, which held a five-to-four conservative majority before her death from pancreatic cancer on Friday.
Her death instantly affected the nation's politics in the midst of an already bitter presidential campaign.
Professor Bennett Gershman, of Pace University, says, "The country is already polarized and divided, and now with this nomination to the Supreme Court, its gonna get worse."
President Donald Trump now has the chance to try to appoint a third member of his choosing, to the high court.
"Republicans in the Senate run the show and they have the power to nominate and confirm somebody to the Supreme Court, and there's nothing that Democrats can do about it," Gershman says.
The president meanwhile promises to move "without delay" on naming Ginsburg's successor, despite senate Democrats' wanting to wait, to delay a confirmation until after the election.
Gershman says, "We're gonna have to wait and see how this thing plays out, but it's gonna be ugly."
A White House advisor says the plan is to announce a SCOTUS pick before the first presidential debate, which is set for Sept. 29.
A Trump nominee would give conservatives a more dominant six to three majority in the U.S. Supreme Court.