The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is about to be replaced by President Trump’s pick whom he’s expected to announce on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M.
President Trump revealed in a tweet that he had made the decision on who he’ll nominate for the United States Supreme Court.
Originally, Trump had said that the announcement would come on Thursday. However, it has been reported that an earlier announcement will be made as the White House deals with the upshot from Trump’s travel ban on Middle Eastern refugees.
President Trump often used surprise announcements to shift attention away from negative media coverage. As he spoke to small business owners, Trump made it clear that he had made a very big decision on the United States Supreme Court, adding that the announcement will come on Tuesday night from the White House. He also emphasized that his choice is a person who is unbelievably highly respected and there’s a high probability that people will be impressed with his pick.
It’s without a doubt that the timing of President Trump’s announcement carries an added benefit for Republicans. Fortunately, reactions from Trump’s choice will drown out an hour-long town hall event by Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at 9:00 P.M. which will be hosted by CNN.
Reports indicate that three federal appeals court judges are said to have emerged as leading candidates: Neil Gorsuch, Thomas Hardiman and William Pryor. Officials also point out that President Trump has also been considering Diane Sykes, who was one of his early favorites for the high court seat.
Senate Republicans and Democrats will immediately face intense political pressure when Trump nominates his chosen justice, with liberals demanding that Democrats block the choice and the new president urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to blow up longstanding rules to secure confirmation.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority leader has made it clear that he will oppose any nominee outside the mainstream, adding that he will likely decide whether to try to block, or filibuster, based on the nominee’s performance in confirmation hearings and feedback from his Democratic caucus, this includes the 10 Senators who are up for re-election in states that Trump won last year.
Trying to filibuster has its own advantages since Republicans will be made to work to find the 60 votes that are needed to end it, including at least eight Democrats, and as a result, delay or block nomination. The Republicans hold a 52-48 majority. However, there are downsides to that, Democrats running for re-election next years in States that Trump won could end up facing political consequences for the attempted obstruction. However, if Republicans change the rules and decide to eliminate the rules and the filibuster altogether, the Democrats would have lost their most powerful weapon.
