For more on the Senate Republican leadership race, tune in to “Inside Politics with Manu Raju” this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. .
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CNN
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The next president could have the power to dramatically reorganize the Supreme Court through one or more appointments. But for Kamala Harris, that may not be possible.
If Republicans regain the Senate majority, President Harris will have to rely on incoming Republican leaders to schedule votes on Supreme Court nominees.
And in interviews with CNN last week, the two leading candidates to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said they would not commit to putting Harris on the floor for a confirmation vote. .
“It depends,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said when asked whether Chief Justice Harris’ nomination would receive a vote in the Senate, which he leads. “Obviously, they have to go through a committee process, so it will depend on that. And I think it will depend on who the president nominates.”
Cornyn added, “If I were in a position to make a decision, I wouldn’t schedule a vote for any wild extremist candidate that she might want to nominate. That must be the intention.”
Senate Republican Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, made similar remarks.
Asked last week if he would approve Supreme Court Justice Harris’ nomination, Thune said, “I’m willing to cross that bridge if necessary.” “But it probably depends on who’s in charge. That’s the advantage of Senate Republicans.”
These comments are the latest sign that the Supreme Court confirmation process has devolved into an all-out partisan battle, with presidents routinely getting their nominations approved even by an opposition-controlled Senate. It’s very different from the times when it was. McConnell’s 2016 decision to leave the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat vacant for more than a year effectively removed the Supreme Court from then-President Barack Obama, as both sides blame the other for the breakdown. The matter has been taken away, and the repercussions are continuing in the Senate.
The next Republican leader will be decided in a lame-duck Congress after the November election. So far, only Cornyn, Thune and Florida Sen. Rick Scott are running to replace McConnell. The current Republican senators and the incoming freshman class will each get a vote. But while Mr. Thune and Mr. Cornyn are widely seen as the most likely successors to Mr. McConnell, such races are handicapped by the fact that senators are not required to make their votes public through secret ballots. Difficult to set up.
Meanwhile, Republicans are likely to win November’s Senate elections, as the party is tilted in their favor, and Democrats will need to defend seats in three red states and seven other contested seats. They only have two chances, Texas and Florida, and those are considered long-shots.
This means that if Ms. Harris wins, she will very likely face a Republican Senate challenge that could thwart her policies or force her to accede to his demands.
And if Trump becomes president again, he may face his own limitations. Both Thune and Cornyn have pledged not to water down the Senate filibuster on any issue, so most bills still need 60 votes, or a portion of the Democratic vote, to pass. Dew. .
Asked how he would work with Harris, Cornyn deadpanned: “We will be a loyal opposition party.”