Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, weighs in on ‘Fox News Sunday.’
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told “Fox News Sunday” that he is “hell-bent” on ensuring that the next Supreme Court vacancy — whether it is ailing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat or otherwise — is filled by a conservative, regardless of what outrage follows from the left.
Graham, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee committee, emphasized that former Democratic Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid had eliminated the Senate filibuster for federal appellate judicial nominees in 2013. Republicans later retaliated by eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court appointments, meaning that a simple majority — rather than a 60-vote supermajority — is sufficient to confirm new Supreme Court nominees.
“My Democratic colleagues felt when they were in charge we should confirm judges by a majority vote,” Graham told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “They changed the rules to accommodate President Obama. They tried to stack the court. They never thought [Hillary] Clinton would lose. So what you’re gonna have is Harry Reid’s and Chuck Schumer’s desire to stack the court on their Democratic watch has come back to haunt them.”
Ginsburg will miss next week’s Supreme sessions and work from home, but her recovery from early-stage lung cancer surgery remains “on track” and no further treatment is needed, the court announced Friday. The 85-year-old’s absence this past week from oral arguments — her first since joining the bench — after her surgery in December sparked speculation about a possible departure and led to low-key planning by the White House for that scenario. – READ MORE