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Sen. Bill Nelson Helps Lead Senate Democrats In Fight Over Supreme Court Replacement

Nelson

Florida Senator Bill Nelson joined his fellow Democrats in vowing to fight to keep President Donald Trump from naming a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired yesterday. Nelson was quick to point out that Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s successful block of President Barack Obama’s nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, in 2016. Republicans argued the seat should be left open because it was a presidential election year.

Nelson, supported waiting until after the 2018 mid-terms set for November decide who is in charge of the Senate before talking about a replacement.

“Justice Kennedy was a balanced, consensus candidate nominated by President Reagan. I expect President Trump to do the same with his nomination,” Nelson said. “I believe the American people should be given the opportunity to express their view in the upcoming election, and then have the Senate exercise its constitutional duties.”

Meanwhile, don’t expect McConnell to hold up the process. As a matter of fact he is hoping that a new justice will be on the bench before the court returns from summer vacation on October 1st.

“This is not 2016. There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term,” McConnell said

 

President Trump has made it very clear that he would start the effort to replace Kennedy “immediately” and would pick from a list of 25 names that he updated last year. McConnell declared that the Senate “will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall.”

For many Republicans the chance to change the Supreme Court to a more conservative group of justices is the only reason they voted for then candidate Trump. Now comes the payoff as there are at present four justices picked by Democratic presidents and four picked by Republicans, so Trump’s second pick is the game changer for those Bush Republicans who against their better judgement voted for Trump.

James Williams: Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.
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