It’s official. Every senator from KC area wants a vote on Ginsburg successor this year
All four Republican senators from the Kansas City area favor voting on a successor for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this year.
Sen. Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican who retires in January, affirmed his support Monday for the Senate GOP leadership’s plan to move forward on President Donald Trump’s nominee to the nation’s high court.
“It is the U.S. Senate’s constitutional duty to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court of the United States, and I support the decision to do so,” Roberts said in a statement.
Roberts was the last of the region’s senators to officially support voting on a nominee this year. Roberts had expressed condolences for Ginsburg Friday night, but had initially declined to commit to a timeline.
In 2016 Roberts joined the GOP in opposing consideration of President Barack Obama’s nominee to the court, federal Judge Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. Their argument this year: the situation is different because the same party holds both the White House and the Senate.
“Twenty-nine times, previous presidents have made SCOTUS nominations during election years. In fact, on 19 occasions, the political parties of the president and the Senate majority were the same,” Roberts said. “Nominees were confirmed on 17 of those occasions. The Senate precedent is clear to support filling this vacancy this year.”
Through a spokesman on Friday, Roberts’ fellow Kansas Republican, Sen. Jerry Moran, indicated his support for a vote this year.
Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican and a member of GOP leadership, likewise favored moving quickly on a successor during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation.
However, Blunt tempered expectations for a vote before the Nov. 3 election, suggesting that the GOP-controlled Senate could move forward on Trump’s nominee during the lame duck session even if former Vice President Joe Biden wins.
“This should take as long as it needs to take, but no longer. There is plenty of time to get this done. But to get it done before Election Day, everything has to work, I think, pretty precisely,” Blunt said Sunday.
Moran and Blunt joined Roberts in opposing hearings on Garland in 2016.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican who was elected in 2018, also called for the confirmation process to go forward this year during a Monday appearance on Fox & Friends.
“Let’s not dither. Let’s not sit on our hands. We were elected here with a job to do, and let’s get it done,” said Hawley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee which will vet the nominee.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 3:54 PM with the headline "It’s official. Every senator from KC area wants a vote on Ginsburg successor this year."
