Should The Senate Vote On A SCOTUS Nominee Before The Election?

There are 43 days left until the Presidential Election and over the weekend the election took another turn. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday. News of her death spread quickly, and just as quickly came the political posturing.

Democrats have called on President Trump and Senate Republicans not to nominate or vote on a Supreme Court replacement until after the Presidential Election. Democrats brought back the nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016 who never received a Senate vote due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's insistence that the Senate not confirm a nominee in an election year. In 2016 McConnell argued that in a Presidential election year, when the Senate is controlled by one party, and the sitting President is of the opposite party, then voters should pick who gets to nominate the Supreme Court nominee. Of course, that isn't the set up this year. President Trump is a Republican and Republicans control the Senate by 3 votes.

But just because Republicans control the Senate, doesn't mean it will be easy to confirm President Trump's pick. Already, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, both Republicans have said they believe whoever wins the Presidential Election should make the pick. Republicans can only lose one more vote if they want to confirm President Trump's nominee.

Democrats have also threatened impeachment and packing the court in the future if Republicans nominate a replacement.

Should the Senate confirm a Supreme Court Justice before the election? Vote in our poll below.