Sen. Durbin: Dems no power to stop SCOTUS nominee results

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (IL.) on Sunday recognized that Senate Democrats have no power to control the voting results of President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
• The Senate Judiciary member said that he will meet with Trump’s nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett and ask for her stand on some issues like the Affordable Care Act.
• Democratic Sen. Ed Markey (MA.) has called to “end the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court.”

Top Democratic leader and Senate Judiciary Committee Senator Dick Durbin admitted on Sunday that Democrats can not stop the end result of President Donald Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court weeks prior to Election Day in November.

“We can slow it down perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at the most. But we can’t stop the outcome,” Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on This Week.

Senate GOPs are aggressively working to make a quick confirmation for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee, as the successor of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the Senate’s Judiciary Chairman, announced that hearings would start on October 12. He also hoped that Barrett’s nomination “would be out of the committee by October 26,” which was criticized by Democrats.

Although he’s not siding with her confirmation, Durbin said he will meet with Barrett as he opposed calls to boycott her confirmation hearings. Other Democrat Senate Judiciary Committee members ━ Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT.) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI.) ━  said that they will not meet with the judge.

“I’ve met with every Supreme Court nominee since I’ve been in the Senate. I will extend that courtesy, if she requests it, for at least a socially distanced, safe meeting, perhaps over the phone,” Durbin said. 

“I want to be respectful. We disagree on some things. And in terms of participating in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I’ll be there to do my job.”

As he was pressed by Stephanopoulus, the Illinois senator also ditched issues regarding legitimizing the confirmation proceeding of Barrett.

“We’re talking about someone who will be on the highest court in the land for the remainder of her life, and I take that seriously,” he said.

Durbin said he hopes to question Barrett on her stand about slashing the Affordable Care Act. He cited Chief Justice John Robert’s opinion in a former case on the health care bill as Democrats criticized the act.

Durbin also told Stephanopoulos that if Democrats would be able to hold most seats again in November, a change to rules is laid on the table.

“Mitch McConnell has taken the Senate and turned it into something that is not even close to a deliberative and legislative body,” he said. 

Democratic Senator Ed Markey (MA.) called to “end the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court” as GOPs blocked former President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, in 2015, yet now, they are pushing for a vote to confirm Barrett’s appointment.

Source: ABC News