During an interview for The Texas Tribune Festival Wednesday, Gov. Larry Hogan weighed in on the debate over filling the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat before the General Election on Nov. 3.
“It would be a mistake for the Senate to ram through a nominee before the election on a partisan line vote, just as I think it would also be a mistake for the Democrats to question the integrity of the court … or try to pack the court,” Hogan said.
.@LarryHogan, Maryland's Republican governor, tells @mattklewis at #TribFest20 that it would be a mistake for members of his party to push through a Supreme Court nominee before Election Day.
"I don't think we should play partisan games with the Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/WX3zv3EHCh
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 23, 2020
The news comes after President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he will announce a nominee to fill the late Ginsburg’s seat on Saturday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been clear that he intends to hold a vote on Trump’s nominee before the Nov. 3 election, despite refusing to hold hearings for President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 because it was an election year.
“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” McConnell said in 2016.
We should not be playing partisan games with the Supreme Court. It would be a mistake for the Senate to ram through a nominee on a partisan line vote, just as it would be a tragic mistake to question the integrity of the court or even pack the court. https://t.co/ZumScZ6X9A
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 23, 2020
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the lone Republican to vote in favor of impeaching Trump in February, announced Tuesday he would not object to voting for a Supreme Court nominee put forward by Trump, paving the way for the Republican-controlled Senate to confirm a nominee before the election.
Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker—who, like Hogan, is a Republican known for bucking the party and leads a Democratic-controlled state—also has come out against nominating a replacement before the election.
“The passing of Justice Ginsburg is not only a loss for the court but for the entire nation, and I urge President Trump and the U.S. Senate to allow the American people to cast their ballots for President before a new justice is nominated or confirmed,” Baker tweeted Sept. 19.
The Supreme Court is too important to rush and must be removed from partisan political infighting.
— Charlie Baker (@MAGovArchive) September 19, 2020
It’s unclear whether Hogan would be in favor of allowing the Senate to push forward a nominee during a hypothetical lame duck period if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was elected the next president.
