McConnell Pledges Vote To Confirm Justice Kennedy’s Successor ‘This Fall’

on January 17, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 17: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (R) speaks to members of the media after a Senate Republican Policy Luncheon as Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (L) listens January 17, ... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 17: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (R) speaks to members of the media after a Senate Republican Policy Luncheon as Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (L) listens January 17, 2018 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Senate Republicans held the weekly luncheon to discuss GOP agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday said the Senate would vote to fill retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s seat “this fall.”

“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional role by offering its advise and consent on President Trump’s nominee to fill this vacancy,” McConnell said from the Senate floor.

“We will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall,” he said.

He added:

As in the case of Justice Gorsuch, senators will have the opportunity to meet with President Trump’s nominee, examine his or her qualifications and debate the nomination. I have every confidence in Chairman Grassley’s conduct of the upcoming confirmation process in the Judiciary Committee. It’s imperative that the President’s nominee be considered fairly and not subjected to personal attacks. Thus far President Trump’s judicial nominations have reflected a keen understanding of the vital role the judges play in our constitutional order. Judges must interpret the law fairly and apply it evenhandedly. Judicial decisions must not flow from judges’ personal philosophies or preferences, but from an honest assessment of the words and actual meaning of the law. This bedrock principal is clearly defined in the president’s excellent choices to date. So we’ll look forward to yet another outstanding selection, but today the Senate and the nation thank Justice Kennedy for his years of service on the bench and for his many contributions to jurisprudence and to our nation. 

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  1. Avatar for caltg caltg says:

    A pox on your “pledge.” A pox on all of you Repuglicans who are working to destroy all that has made America truly great.

  2. Shouldn’t we wait to see what the new Congress does?

  3. What the asshole is saying is he is going to deny Democrats any voice in two nominations. Hold on to your hats. This is going to become the new normal. Winner take all politics as far as the eyes can see. Party uber alles.

  4. I thought presidents weren’t allowed supreme court nominees their last year in office.

  5. “Unless a Democrat is in office, in which case we get to block and insult judges as much as we want”.

    McConnell will go down in history as one of the reasons the US declined so much between 2014 and 2040…his efforts have done tremendous damage to the nation, and its laws, and will continue forward for decades. And he’s proud of the fact that he’s ruined things so much…hopefully he lives long enough to see the nation’s downfall because of his policies.

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