Sep 20, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pence aide on RBG's dying wish: "The decision of when to nominate does not lie with her"

Axios

Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that President Trump would move forward with a nomination to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, despite her dying wish that she "not be replaced until a new president is installed."

What he's saying: "You know, Jake, I think that today we as a nation mourn the loss of Justice Ginsburg. She's certainly a giant upon whose shoulders many will stand and she blazed a trail for many women in the legal profession. But the decision of when to nominate does not lie with her," Short said.

The big picture: Trump is expected to move quickly on a nomination and has said it "will be a woman." Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, is said to be a front-runner.

Asked whether Trump expects a confirmation before the election, Short said, "I think that, as you know, Justice Ginsburg was confirmed within 43 days of her nomination. Today we sit here 44 days out from election. So it's certainly possible."
"But I think that the president's obligation is to make the nomination. We'll leave the timetable to Leader McConnell," he added.

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Pence aide on RBG's dying wish: "The decision of when to nominate does not lie with her"

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