ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Ted Cruz on Thursday spoke about the “precedent” for a Supreme Court to operate with fewer than nine justices, perhaps suggesting that the Senate could continue to refuse to confirm President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, beyond the November election.
“You know, I think there will be plenty of time for debate on that issue,” the Texas senator said Thursday, according to the Washington Post. “There is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices.” Cruz’ comments also hint that he could support a blockade on any nominees named by Hillary Clinton, should she win the presidency.
Last week, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters that if Clinton were to become president, “we can’t just simply stonewall.”
On Thursday, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declined to entertain a hypothetical scenario. He did say in a statement, however, that “until there is a new president and a new nominee, it’s impossible to say how any Senator, Republican or Democrat, would vote on that nominee.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called it “alarming to anyone who cares about the fair administration of justice, and the integrity of America’s judiciary, that some Republicans are already seeking to undermine the outcome of the upcoming election and further prevent our independent judiciary from fulfilling its constitutional role.”
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