Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Wednesday dismissed President Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees as "complete non-starters," insisting that the Senate should wait until after the November elections to confirm a new justice.
Harris' comments came shortly after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced that he would retire from the Supreme Court, setting the stage for Trump to nominate a second justice to the high court.
"Given the stakes of this Supreme Court seat, which will determine the fate of fundamental constitutional rights, the American people, who will vote in less than 4 months, deserve to have their voice heard," Harris tweeted. "We shouldn't vote on confirmation until they have voted at the ballot box."
"The President's list of potential SCOTUS nominees are complete non-starters," she added. "They are conservative ideologues, not mainstream jurists. We cannot and will not accept them to serve on the highest court in the land."
Harris' comments echoed those of other Democrats on Wednesday. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday that it would be hypocritical for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to hold a vote on a Supreme Court nominee before the midterm elections.
McConnell announced moments earlier that he planned to hold a vote on Trump's next nominee in the fall.
After the death of former Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, McConnell refused to hold a vote on then-President Barack Obama's nominee for the court, Merrick Garland, saying that the Senate should wait until after the presidential election.
Trump was elected later that year, and eventually nominated Neil Gorsuch to the court. He was confirmed by the Senate last year.
It's not yet clear whom Trump will nominate to replace Kennedy on the court. The White House released a list of 25 potential nominees in November, and Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to make his selection from that very list.
The Hill, June 27, 2018
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June 27, 2018
Post Script. Now that Kennedy has announced hisretirement, We The People have to demand - No vote on SCOTUS until after the midterms. Start calling. Get ready to march. Democracy is at stake.