There's a lot of speculation about how Republican senators will respond to the Supreme Court vacancy following the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to forge ahead with a confirmation vote, and President Trump has urged GOP lawmakers to confirm his nominee "without delay." But observers have pinpointed a few Republicans that could potentially break with the party and try to push the vote until at least after the November election is decided. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), often considered one of the more moderate voices in the upper chamber, was one of them.
Collins, who is in a tough re-election battle, released a statement Saturday, clarifying that she believes a vote to confirm the nominee should wait until after the election. Collins said "we must act fairly and consistently — no matter which political party is in power," likely referring to the fact that the Republican-led Senate blocked then-President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016 due to the proximity to that year's election.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Real estate: Rocket's plan to remake homebuyingFeature The mortgage company wants to dominate the homebuying process
-
6 must-see homes in BostonFeature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tourTalking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacksspeed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
-
Russian strike kills dozens in UkraineSpeed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
South Korea court removes impeached presidentSpeed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifiesspeed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clashspeed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rivalSpeed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
