Trump promises to replace Ginsburg with ‘brilliant’ woman

“It will be a woman — a very talented, very brilliant woman,” President Donald Trump said. 

By David Isaac, World Israel News

If the seven-week runup to the election wasn’t interesting enough, it just got a lot more interesting with the sudden vacancy of a Supreme Court seat after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Democrats swear to oppose a nomination so close to the election while the president vows to fill it.

“It will be a woman — a very talented, very brilliant woman,” President Donald Trump said.

The front-runner to fill Ginsburg’s seat is Judge Amy Coney Barrett, according to people privy to discussions, The Washington Times reports. Barrett, a conservative judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, was interviewed by the president as a possible Supreme Court pick in 2018.

Barrett, 48, clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia. She is a “strict originalist,” the Washington Times reported, meaning that she believes that the Constitution must be interpreted based on the original understanding of its authors.

Others on the short list are Judge Barbara Lagoa of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta and Judge Allison Jones Rushing of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia.

Kate Todd, deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president, has also been named as a possible contender.

The pick could be announced as soon as Monday or Tuesday. On Sunday, the White House said only that it would be “very soon.”

At a campaign rally on Saturday night in North Carolina, Trump supporters chanted “fill that seat.”

The stakes couldn’t be higher as the country heads into an election with universal mail-in voting which is almost certain to be contested. As in 2000, the Supreme Court may ultimately make the call.

There were already signs a rollercoaster ride of an election was coming. Democratic challenger Joe Biden announced in July that he had enlisted 600 lawyers in case there was any funny business at the polls.

Trump says it’s his “moral duty” to fill the seat. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) agrees. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” he said on Friday.

McConnell will have to lock in the Republicans to make it happen. Two have already said they’ll oppose the effort – Sens. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) said he would oppose such a vote before Ginsburg died but has not stated his position since.

McConnell can only afford to lose three Republicans.

Democrats are furious that the Republicans are moving forward.

They’ve even voiced the idea of expanding the number of Supreme Court seats from nine to 13, echoing an attempt by President Franklin Roosevelt who tried, and failed, to do so in 1937 when the court struck down much of his New Deal.