Senate Will Vote Before Elections on Replacing Pro-Abortion Justice Anthony Kennedy

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 27, 2018   |   3:34PM   |   Washington, DC

The United States Senate will vote before the elections this November on a replacement for pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made that announcement today shortly after the surprising but welcome announcement that the longtime abortion advocate will be stepping down from the nation’s highest court after serving on it for more than three decades.

“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional role by offering advice and consent on President Trump’s nominee to fill this vacancy. We will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall,” McConnell said in a statement.

“As in the case of Justice Gorsuch, Senators will have the ‎opportunity to meet with President Trump’s nominee, examine his or her qualifications, and debate the nomination,” he added.

He said any Supreme Court justice should be restrained and Constitutional in his or her views.

“Thus far, President Trump’s judicial nominations have reflected a keen understanding of the vital role that judges play in our constitutional order. Judges must interpret the law fairly and apply it even-handedly. Judicial decisions must not flow from judges’ personal philosophies or ‎preferences, but from the honest assessment of the words and actual meaning of the law,” he added.

President Donald Trump will have an opportunity to appoint Kennedy’s replacement and, if he names a potential Supreme Court Justice along the lines of Judge Neil Gorsuch, who said he would follow the rule of law and who has already sided with pro-life advocates in key cases, the pro-life movement will be excited and energized and fighting like never before to confirm a justice who could help oversee the abolishment of Roe vs. Wade.

National Right to Life president Carol Tobias expressed the kind of optimism pro-life advocates across the country are feeling today following Kennedy’s retirement and highlighted the kind of justice needed next.”

“All too often, our efforts to protect unborn children and other vulnerable humans have been overridden by judges who believe they have a right to impose their own policy preferences. We look forward to President Trump nominating a jurist who shares the view that Supreme Court justices are constrained to enforce the text and original intent of constitutional provisions, and on all other matters should defer to democratically elected lawmakers,” she said.

Leading abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood are already putting the wheels in motion for fundraising and political action plans to attempt to stop any potential Supreme Court nominee who might overturn Roe v Wade from being confirmed to the high court. That will put the onus on pro-life advocates to step up their fundraising and put up concerted efforts to ensure the next Supreme Court justice is someone who is willing to respect the rule of law rather than make up a fictitious abortion right from the bench.

The good news for pro-life advocates is that Republicans hold a small majority in the Senate and have been successful in approving his nominees on a majority vote. Senator McConnell has been successful in ensuring that the Senate can vote on such nominees without a filibuster by pro-abortion Democrats to working that vote process. He will have to move in the same direction with any potential Supreme Court nominee.