Sen. Booker: US Senate should focus on COVID relief and not rush Supreme Court confirmation

Sen. Cory Booker is criticizing President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans for wanting to nominate and approve a new Supreme Court justice so soon after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

News 12 Staff

Sep 23, 2020, 11:56 PM

Updated 1,362 days ago

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Sen. Cory Booker is criticizing President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans for wanting to nominate and approve a new Supreme Court justice so soon after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Donald Trump says that he will announce his pick to fill Ginsburg’s seat on Saturday. Appeals Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett is reportedly the No. 1 choice.
Booker says that his concern is not about the nomination, but the precedent set forth by Republicans four years ago about picking a new Supreme Court justice in an election year.
“This is not about the nominee. It’s about the office. The Republicans said that Barack Obama – almost a year out from the next election, should not choose. And they waited and waited until Donald Trump got to choose that person. Now, under conditions that actually have more historical precedent – never before has someone, just weeks from an election, been able to rush a nominee through,” Booker said on News 12 New Jersey.
The Democratic senator says that lawmakers should be focusing on COVID-19 relief instead.
“What the Senate should be working on right now is not rushing this nomination through, but getting the critical resources for the pandemic that the state of New Jersey and other states need for our hospitals for our schools – increasing unemployment insurance and more. Especially state and local funding,” Booker said.
Justice Ginsburg is lying in repose at the Supreme Court following a private ceremony held Wednesday morning. Ginsburg will be the first woman ever to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday.


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