Democratic senator calls on Republicans to ‘live with the precedent they set’ on Supreme Court confirmations

by Justine Coleman - 09/20/20 10:27 AM ET

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) called on Senate Republicans on Sunday to “live with the precedent they set” and not rush a confirmation to the Supreme Court after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.

Coons, an ally of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, told “Fox News Sunday” that he plans to talk to GOP colleagues in the upper chamber this week to convince them to “respect tradition” and follow their 2016 precedent that a Supreme Court justice should not be confirmed during an election year.

“I’m going to be working this weekend, this week to reach across the aisle and see if I can persuade some friends to respect tradition, to respect the precedent they set in 2016 and to let the voters decide,” he said.

{mosads}Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Senate Republicans in 2016 blocked a confirmation vote for President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, nine months ahead of the election. Garland was nominated after Justice Anton Scalia died in February 2016.

The Delaware Democrat said on Sunday that there’s a “huge amount at stake,” adding that a wrong move could “further divide our country” and “dishonor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy.”

“The legitimacy of the court will be harmed by its further politicization, just 44 days before an election when the Republican majority just four years ago … insisted on keeping that seat open for nearly 10 months,” he said.

“I think it further suggests to the American people that this is all about politics, not about principle,” he added.

Coons also asserted that the election has started in at least half of the states as Americans vote early and by mail voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Supreme Court announced Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer Friday night.

President Trump said he expects to nominate a woman to fill her vacancy on the court this week, and McConnell committed to giving a Trump nominee a vote on the Senate floor, despite blocking Garland’s confirmation in 2016.