<p class="p1"><span class="s1">With less than two months before the election, Senate Republicans are on track to approve President Trump’s yet-to-be-announced Supreme Court nominee following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“We got the votes to confirm Justice Ginsburg’s replacement before the election,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC). “We are going to move forward in the committee. We’re going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is hoping to convince “four brave senate Republicans to commit to rejecting any nominee until the next president is installed.” </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So far, only two have agreed to postpone the vote until after the election: Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). </span><span class="s1">However, with nearly all GOP Senators in agreement, the Dems’ only real hope is that something unfortunate will occur during the vetting process. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“It’s pretty obvious that if they (Democrats) want an outcome, they’ll just destroy anybody’s life to keep the seat open,” argues Graham. “They said they tried to destroy Brett Kavanaugh so they could fill the seat &#8211; they were dumb enough to say that. I’ve seen this movie before. It’s not going to work, it didn’t work with Kavanaugh.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Some Democrats have even suggested adding more justices to the court &#8211; a controversial idea that will eliminate the Senate’s legislative filibuster and cause further division within the Democratic party. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden opposes the idea of expanding the high court and has urged Republicans to hold off on voting until after the November election. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“We need to de-escalate, not escalate,” said Biden. “That&#8217;s why I appeal to those few Senate Republicans, the handful who really will decide what happens. Please, follow your conscience. Don’t vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator McConnell have created. Don’t go there.”</span></p>
<p>A major issue for Republicans is where the next Supreme Court Justice stands on <em>Roe v. Wade. </em>The favorite seems to be <span class="s1">Amy Coney Barrett &#8211; a lawyer, jurist, and academic who was nominated to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals by President Trump in May 2017. </span><span class="s1">Her judicial leanings have been compared to those of her former boss, Antonin Scalia.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Experts say it is possible to confirm a Supreme Court nominee in 40 days, though it has rarely been done. “It would be the new recent world record,” says Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). “We’d have to do more than we’ve done in a long time to get one done that quickly, but it&#8217;s possible.” </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Ginsburg, whose last known words were the wish that she “not be replaced until a new president is installed,” was confirmed in 42 days.</span></p>
<p><em>President Trump is expected to make a final decision by Saturday. </em></p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Sources:</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/22/politics/congress-state-of-play-supreme-court-confirmation/index.html"><span class="s1">No Supreme Court nominee yet, but McConnell already on the cusp of having the votes</span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/politics/graham-ginsburg-senate-replacement/2020/09/22/id/988086/"><span class="s1">Lindsey Graham: We Have Votes to Confirm Trump Pick</span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/22/biden-supreme-court-filibuster-ginsburg-419832"><span class="s1"> Why Biden is stiff-arming the left on court-packing and the filibuster </span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/517484-senate-gop-faces-pivotal-moment-on-pick-for-supreme-court"><span class="s1">Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court </span></a></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senate-votes-trump-replacement-scotus-rbg-election_n_5f692c9ec5b6a9b19b3d605f"><span class="s1"> ‘We’ve Got The Votes’: Lindsey Graham Says Senate Will Fill Ginsburg&#8217;s Seat Before Election </span></a></p>