According to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could face an uphill battle when it comes to filling Supreme Court vacancies if she should become president in November.
In an interview with a Philadelphia TV station, McCain stated, “I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up.”
The Supreme Court has been running with only eight members since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia earlier this year. It is likely that several more justices could retire over the next few years, which means that the next president could shape the direction of the court for decades to come.
GOP lawmakers, who believe that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may be the only hope at getting a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, have used this prospect as a rallying cry to urge Republicans to vote this November.
Even if Trump wins, McCain is unsure if he will appoint justices in the mold of the conservative Scalia. “I don’t know because I hear [Trump] saying a lot of different things,” said McCain. Trump has released a list of judges that he would consider for the Supreme Court; however, he is known for his unpredictability, so it is unclear if he would actually stick to the list.
John Boehner, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, also spoke out on the issue of Supreme Court nominations in a recent interview on Fox News. He says the issue should be a top priority for voters this November since the legislative process will likely remain gridlocked regardless of who wins the presidency.