By Erica Gustafson, Staff Writer
Last Friday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died due to complications related to metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87-years-old and had been appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. She spent over two decades serving on the court before her death.
Following her death, many senators and other government officials have discussed and debated over considering a new nominee before the upcoming presidential election.
Joe Biden, former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee, spoke at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia about appointing a new justice. Biden states that he believes that an elected presidential candidate should be the one to appoint a new justice.
President Trump tweeted on Sept. 19 that, “We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!”
The presidential election is quickly approaching, and the people will have to decide on a new President to represent them in office. This person will be in charge of many life-altering decisions and will have the responsibility to select a nominee to fill the vacancy. These Supreme Court justices serve for life and one must be chosen by a leader who the people have elected to represent them.
Republican Senator from Maine, Susan Collins, agreed that the Senate should not vote on a new nominee until the election ends and that the nominee should be a candidate brought forward by the election winner.
Disputes have been brought up over precedents set in the past, and the actions that were taken to resolve the situation previously. Lisa Murkowski, Republican Senator from Alaska agrees with others in stating she is opposed to taking up the nomination before the election, referencing her decision back to a similar instance in 2016. Murkowski did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 presidential election after the death of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Currently, the United States is less than two months away from the 2020 presidential election and the same standards should apply today.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that the Senate is supposed to vote on the individual that the president nominates to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but there has not been a set voting time.
With the Senate looking to vote on a nominee and two Republican Senators speaking up against the pre-election voting, this selection process may spiral out of control. This will all lead to mixed opinions and a controversial end to the 2020 presidential candidate race.
gustafea18@bonaventure.edu
