Rubio says the Senate should vote on Trump’s SCOTUS nominee ‘whenever it’s ready’
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio expressed support for a quick confirmation process on President Donald Trump’s replacement for former Supreme Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday, though he didn’t explicitly say the U.S. Senate must hold a confirmation vote before Election Day.
“I think there should be a vote whenever the Senate is ready to vote,” Rubio said to reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday when asked if there should be a vote on Ginsburg’s replacement before November 3, which is six weeks away.
In 2016, Rubio said the Senate should not move forward with Merrick Garland’s nomination, offered by President Barack Obama nine months before Election Day.
“I don’t think we should be moving forward with a nominee in the last year of this president’s term,” Rubio said in March 2016 shortly after suspending his presidential campaign. “I would say that even if it was a Republican president.”
On Monday, Rubio also said that Barbara Lagoa, a Miami-born federal appellate court judge, would be “great pick.”
He added that he hasn’t spoken to the White House about his thoughts on the Supreme Court since Ginsburg’s death on Friday.
He said U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett also “sounds good.” Barrett and Lagoa are considered Trump’s most likely choices. Trump has said he’s likely to choose a woman for the seat.
Rubio’s comments, along with a statement from his office, were his first remarks on Ginsburg’s replacement since her death. Fellow Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott called for the Senate to vote on Ginsburg’s replacement on Friday night, echoing the position of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“It would be irresponsible to allow an extended vacancy on the Supreme Court,” Scott said in a statement issued two hours after Ginsburg’s death was announced. “I believe that President Trump’s nominee should get a vote in the U.S. Senate.”
Scott was still Florida’s governor when the Senate in 2016 refused to go forward with Garland’s nomination process.
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have said they oppose moving forward with a confirmation vote before Election Day. Two more Republican senators would need to join them to block the nomination before Election Day. McConnell can successfully confirm a nominee if at least 50 senators are in favor of confirmation.
In a 50-50 split, Vice President Mike Pence would have the tie-breaking vote.
Rubio said he’ll vote to approve the nominee if “they are qualified and will respect the law as written,” Rubio said in a statement. “And unlike President Obama in 2016, President Trump is on the ballot and can be rewarded or held accountable for his choice in November.”
