Sen. Cory Gardner says he will vote to confirm SCOTUS judge if there is a ‘qualified nominee’
DENVER (KRDO) -- Colorado Senator Cory Gardner announced Monday that he would vote to confirm a judge for the Supreme Court if there is a "qualified nominee."
The vacancy on the Supreme Court is left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away Friday only 46 days before the election.
Read the full statement from Republican Sen. Gardner below:
"When a President exercises constitutional authority to nominate a judge for the Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate must decide how to best fulfill its constitutional duty of advice and consent. I have and will continue to support judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and uphold the law. Should a qualified nominee who meets this criteria be put forward, I will vote to confirm."
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter he would announce his choice for Supreme Court Justice on Saturday. He and other Republicans are pushing for the new Associate Justice to be sworn in before the upcoming election. Democrats on the other hand say it should happen after the election including Garder's opponent in the Colorado U.S. Senate race John Hickenlooper.
"The will of the voters should be respected whoever gets elected as president on November 3rd that's who should decide who is designated as the next nominee," Hickenlooper says. "This Supreme Court Justice is going to play a big role in healthcare," Hickenlooper adds referring to the lawsuit against the Affordable Healthcare Act that the Supreme Court will vote on shortly after the election.
The push from Republicans to get the nomination through as soon as possible contradicts what many of them, including Senator Gardner, said back in 2016 when Justice Antonin Scalia died nine months before that Presidential election. Republicans refused to consider then-President Barack Obama's nominee because it was too close to an election.
