Trump to “Move Quickly” in Appointing Female Successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Read also: Joe Biden Assembles Legal Team Ahead of Divisive November Election

But, with 45 days to go before the election and early voting already begun in some states, galvanized Democrats are pushing back furiously.

Biden said Friday that "the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider".

'Nothing is off the table'

While Democrats' options seem limited, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told party members Saturday that if Republicans press ahead, then "nothing is off the table", according to media reports.

"This vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president," Schumer said Friday, carefully echoing the words of Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell in 2016 when he blocked Obama nominee Merrick Garland.

Republicans in theory have the Senate votes to push through a Trump nominee, but could be blocked by only a handful of defections.

Republican Senator Susan Collins became the first to break ranks when she announced Saturday she would not support a vote on any Trump nominee before the election.

The Maine lawmaker is among a handful of moderate Republican senators — including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — who have already expressed doubts about a rushed vote.

"I totally disagree with her," Trump said of Collins' stance, referring to his 2016 election in adding that "we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want".

Read also: Steve Bannon’s Attempt at Exporting Firebrand Populism to Europe is Failing

One prominent Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will oversee the confirmation hearings, is none other than Senator Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate.

Court reform?

Trump has already named scores of conservatives as federal judges, and Democrats fear a deep and lasting shift in balance at the Supreme Court.

"If he's allowed to put more conservatives in, this is going to be disastrous for the next 40 to 50 years," Gloria Browne-Marshall, a civil rights attorney, said on CNN.

Analysts predicted Democrats would do their best to drag out the process while fanning public outrage.

"Their option is to build a groundswell... to try to convince at least four Republican senators to vote 'no' on whoever the president puts forward," Amy Howe, co-founder of a Supreme Court blog, said on CNN.

(Writer: Brian Knowlton) 

Source: http://u.afp.com/3R4Z