ICYMI: The Bulwark: “Dems Aren’t Buying Reports of Alito Staying Put”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite weekend reporting from Fox News that Justices Alito and Thomas won’t retire this year, Democrats and Demand Justice are treating the reports as smokescreens, and continue organizing for the strong likelihood of one or two vacancies before November.
In a new piece in The Bulwark, Demand Justice President Josh Orton lays out why the group is moving forward with a multi-million-dollar campaign regardless of what the justices say publicly:
- Trump is president and doesn’t care about their egos: As Orton put it, “If Trump wants them off, they’re off.”
- Sen. Chris Coons puts the odds of a retirement before the midterms at 70 percent, telling The Bulwark it would “fit the pattern” of Trump jamming through a last-minute nomination.
- Republican leadership is already prepared. Majority Leader Thune said the Senate stands “prepared to confirm,” and Trump told Fox Business he has a short list ready — explicitly citing Justice Ginsburg’s death in office as a cautionary tale.
- Republicans wouldn’t let the seats fall into Democratic hands: Unlike what happened with Justice Ginsburg,Trump and the Republican establishment are ideologically devoted–they will not risk losing two seats on the Supreme Court to the appointments of a Democratic president.
- Republicans have used this playbook before: Senate Republicans have a history of advancing Supreme Court nominees (or not) on their own schedule, regardless of the “principles” they espouse.
Demand Justice’s campaign, an initial $3 million now, scaling to $15 million once a vacancy opens, is built around a single question: Is Trump’s nominee loyal to the Constitution, or loyal to Donald Trump?
“This could be unlike any other Supreme Court nomination fight in modern times,” Orton told The Bulwark.Read the full piece:The Bulwark — Dems Aren’t Buying Reports of Alito Staying Put
