WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is vowing that Democrats will not allow President Donald Trump to put “a right-winger” on the Supreme Court once they take power, raising the possibility that his party could block a presidential nominee if there is a vacancy in the next two years.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Schumer would not say if he would hold a Supreme Court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016. But he said that Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court — or to the lower courts or Trump’s Cabinet, either.

“The bottom line is we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said.

Schumer’s pledge came two days after Democrats won a decisive Senate majority in the midterm elections — a feat few predicted a year ago, when Schumer was facing intense criticism from progressives within his party and Senate Republicans were betting that a favorable map and backing from Trump would help them keep power.

While there is still frustration with Schumer in some corners of the party, the New Yorker is expected to easily be reelected as leader by his caucus after leading them to wins in Republican-leaning states across the country. Democrats could have as many as 56 seats in the Senate if they win Mississippi and Alaska, which still have not been called — “a durable majority,” Schumer predicts, that has been 20 years in the making as he has been directly or indirectly in charge of his party’s Senate campaign operation.

  • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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    1 hour ago

    I can’t believe Alito and Roberts didn’t retire in time to be replaced by other fascists. I mean, I can, those people are overall very unlikely to relinquish power but damn, what a terrible fail on their side.

    • Kirp123@lemmy.world
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      15 minutes ago

      I mean it’s something that both sides of the aisle have in common when it comes to the Supreme Court. Remember that Ruth Bader Ginsburg also refused to retire in 2013 when Obama could have named a Democratic judge to the SC.

      • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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        5 minutes ago

        Not just supreme court. Pelosi is about to retire at 86. Biden insisted on running for second term for so long he gave no time for Kamala to campaign. Feinstein served until she died even though she had sever dementia. All of those people love power so much they would rather die than let it go.

  • ms.lane@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Says the guy considered Hard Right in any other political circle.

    He’s genuinely further to the right than Tony Abbot and Scott Morrison… People we’d never ever consider anything other than hard-right in Australia.

  • aramis87@fedia.io
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    9 hours ago

    Schumer making statements trying to stave off demands for him to hand the reins to someone else.

      • aramis87@fedia.io
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        7 hours ago

        Still absolutely determined to “do his job” - and effectively cut off any true accountability, meaningful change, and undermine momentum. These people don’t understand that (a) the fundamental rules have changed, and (b) both the people and the planet are running out of time.

    • we is doomed!@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      mehhhh, he’s like Vance, a weathervane, he’ll change when it’s to his benefit, I think he seeing the writing on the wall… finally.

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    8 hours ago

    Fuck you, Schumer! The only thing you represent is money! I don’t trust him at all. He should not be in any position of authority or power

  • GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    McConnell rule; it’s too close to the next election for a President of the opposite party.

    Sorry! 🤷‍♂️

  • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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    8 hours ago

    Schumer going to have a beer with Kavanaugh after making this strongly worded shitpost.

    • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      I don’t know if it’s just that I’ve heard so much news about Merrick Garland and relatively little about gorsuch, but so far I’ve actually been pretty glad that garland didn’t get confirmed.

      Every other trump nominee has been a nightmare, but gorsuch is actually sort of okay.