Colorado Senator Gardner Says Senate Should Vote on Supreme Court Nominee

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) Republican Senator Cory Gardner (Colorado) says he is ready to vote on US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, and will support the president's pick if the nominee is qualified.

"When a President exercises constitutional authority to nominate a judge for the Supreme Court vacancy, the Senate must decide how to best fulfill its constitutional duty of advice and consent," Gardner said in a Monday statement, adding "I have and will continue to support judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and uphold the law. Should a qualified nominee who meets this criteria be put forward, I will vote to confirm."

Trump said on Monday that he may choose his nominee for the US Supreme Court by the end of the week and is considering picking from a list of five women candidates to replace the deceased justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Trump reiterated that he wants to see a vote on his US Supreme Court nominee at the Senate before the November 3 presidential election.

The US president added that had already spoken to some of the candidates and plans to hold more meetings soon.

According to US media reports, Trump has met with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, 48, who is a circuit judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago. Colorado Judge Allison Eid is also among those on President Trump's short list for the Supreme Court nomination.

On Friday, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer at her home in Washington.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday that the Senate would vote on Trump's pick to replace Ginsburg regardless of criticism by Democrats that they should not do so because of being in an election year. The Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.