DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, said Monday they will not object to moving forward with the nomination of a Supreme Court justice following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to announce his pick for the Supreme Court by Saturday, before the justice is laid to rest.
Ernst released a short statement on the vacancy:
“We have much to consider over the coming days. The Supreme Court plays a fundamental role in the defense of our Constitution and in the protection of our rights and liberties. Once the president puts forward his nominee for the Supreme Court, I will carry out my duty—as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—to evaluate the nominee for our nation’s highest court.”
Grassley's statement ties this historic moment to 2016 and 2018 elections. His statement reads in part:
“In 2016, with an open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court and a window into the type of justice he’d nominate, the American people elected Donald Trump president of the United States. The vacancy was among the key issues on voters’ minds at the polls."
Grassley's statement says Americans "reaffirmed their support" for Trump in 2018 by expanding the Republican majority in the Senate, which is the body responsible for evaluating and confirming the president's nominees to the Court.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is pushing ahead with plans to begin the confirmation process, according to the Associated Press.
The Senate GOP leadership team was to meet Monday behind closed doors on next steps.
Grassley said McConnell and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R - S.C., have both made it clear that they want to move forward with the nomination process.
Grassley stepped down as chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 2019.
"Both have confirmed their intentions to move forward, so that’s what will happen," Grassley's statement says. "Once the hearings are underway, it’s my responsibility to evaluate the nominee on the merits, just as I always have."
The statement continues:
"The Constitution gives the Senate that authority, and the American people’s voices in the most recent election couldn’t be clearer. While there was ambiguity about the American people’s will for the direction of the Supreme Court in 2016 under a divided government, there is no such ambiguity in 2020. "
Grassley also said that "if the shoe were on the other foot, Senate Democrats wouldn't hesitate to use their Constitutional authority and anything else at their disposal to fill this seat."