Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died.

[Oexmelin]

That's it.

[Razgovory]

Well, we're beat.

[Valmy]

At least we are going to wait until after the election, that is how these things work right?

[DGuller]

Maybe Supreme Court needs to completely lose its legitimacy to be saved.  Far too often it has gotten a pass while being a very active player in dismantling the democratic institutions.

[chipwich]

Maybe Supreme Court needs to completely lose its legitimacy to be saved.  Far too often it has gotten a pass while being a very active player in dismantling the democratic institutions.

Such as the time they overturned [My preferred judical position]

[Valmy]

Maybe Supreme Court needs to completely lose its legitimacy to be saved.  Far too often it has gotten a pass while being a very active player in dismantling the democratic institutions.

Such as the time they overturned [My preferred judical position]

Plessy vs Ferguson?

[Caliga]

At least we are going to wait until after the election, that is how these things work right?

That's right!

[PDH]

I am sure the party of values, of decency, of waiting for the public to decide will do the best thing here.

[derspiess]

RIP

[grumbler]

Wow.  I am sure of two things, and fairly sure of a third:
1.  I am sure that the republicans will ram through a nomination for someone even worse than Kavanaugh.
2.  I am fairly sure that the democratic response, when they take the Senate, will be to add more justices to the nine in place.  They can ram that through, probably, on a party-line vote.
3.  I am sure that, looking back, we will see this as the point when it irrevocably turned to shit.  The stage will be set for a purely-partisan game of "add the justices" that will have no end.

RBG, you fought the good fight, and it is tragic that your death will be what you are known for in history.

[grumbler]

I am sure the party of values, of decency, of waiting for the public to decide will do the best thing here.

Moscow Mitch has already said that he believes USSC nominations are rightfully a purely partisan undertaking, and that he would confirm a Republican nominee up until the last day before the new Senate takes office.

[PDH]

I am sure the party of values, of decency, of waiting for the public to decide will do the best thing here.

Moscow Mitch has already said that he believes USSC nominations are rightfully a purely partisan undertaking, and that he would confirm a Republican nominee up until the last day before the new Senate takes office.

I didn't say best for whom.

[merithyn]

How many Republicans would it take to stop Mitch from getting a confirmation?

[OttoVonBismarck]

53 Republican Senators
If 3 vote no, then Pence can tie break to confirm
If 3 abstain, then I believe under the standing quorum rules, the vote would be 50 out of 97, so more than 1/2, which is enough to carry a motion

If 4 vote no, then either a Democrat has to vote to confirm, or they cannot confirm
If 4 abstain, then I believe 49/96 is enough to pass

So a lot will depend if these Senators like Grassley, Collins, Murkowski and (rumors at the moment) Romney who have indicated they would not vote in this scenario plan to vote no or plan to abstain.

[OttoVonBismarck]

On a high level you never really dislike having a new seat on the SCOTUS; but structurally I think this may be a rough political situation for the GOP. For one multiple incumbent, vulnerable Republicans, are probably not helped by this:

Cory Gardner
Susan Collins
Thom Tillis
Martha McSally

Are the four who are done no favors at all by this situation, and probably this alone could cost them reelection.

On the flipside, this situation likely helps the GOP Senators in Red States who are facing unexpectedly strong contests--Daines in Montana and Graham in South Carolina, because a majority of voters in those states are strongly pro-life and would be likely to be at least partially energized by this.

On some level the smart move would perhaps be for Trump to either slow roll the nomination or basically do some fake paeaen to bipartisanship and hold off on it, to keep the pressure off these guys. But there's actually big risks for Trump, he's in bad shape in all the polls and not coming out swinging with a new nominee risks alienating the one part of Trump's coalition that has the most transactional relationship to the President and who has been very loyal thus far--the pro lifers who vote based more or less entirely on the promise of Supreme Court justices.