May 28, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Graham: Senior judges should step down before election so GOP controls replacements

Sen. Lindsey Graham. Photo: Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) encouraged federal judges in their mid-to-late 60s to retire before this November's election to ensure that Republicans can replace them with conservatives, per an interview on Thursday with radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Why it matters: Republicans are anxious to hold on to their Senate majority and maintain control over judiciary confirmations. The GOP's grip on both the White House and Senate since 2016 has permitted the party to boost conservatives in courts — including two Supreme Court justices.

What he's saying: "[I]f you’re a Circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status, now would be a good time to do that if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center," Graham said in Thursday's interview.

  • Asked if current judges can count on their replacements to be confirmed before the 2020 election, Graham noted, "Well, if you wait, you know, November the 1st, no. So do it now."

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 32,471,119 — Total deaths: 987,593 — Total recoveries: 22,374,557 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 7,032,524 — Total deaths: 203,657 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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