Newfound Trump devotee Ted Cruz doesn’t think the empty Supreme Court Justice seat will be filled anytime soon, at least, unless Donald Trump is doing so. On Wednesday, the Texas senator said the GOP would block any judge that Hillary Clinton would nominate if she is elected president, as reported by The Washington Post.
The selection of the new Supreme Court Justice after the death of Antonin Scalia has been the source of much controversy. That Republicans would want to wait until the election to fill the seat makes sense, but Cruz goes further and seems to think the justices are doing fine with one seat down. He said there’s precedent for having an open seat:
“You know, I think there will be plenty of time for debate on that issue. There is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices. I would note, just recently, that Justice Breyer observed that the vacancy is not impacting the ability of the court to do its job. That’s a debate that we are going to have.”
Cruz’s position somewhat contradicts other GOP lawmakers. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley says it would be counterproductive for Republicans to stonewall a Clinton appointment. However, Trump hasn’t made it easy for down-ballot Republicans — mostly those who have endorsed him — to win their respective races. And if the Democrats earn the majority on Election Day and Hillary Clinton wins, SCOTUS could easily see its first liberal Supreme Court majority since the 1970s.
(Via The Washington Post)
