Romney backs Trump's nomination push, dealing final blow to Democrats
Updated 16:44, 23-Sep-2020
CGTN
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) walks to his office on the opening day of the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2019. /Reuters

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) walks to his office on the opening day of the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2019. /Reuters

U.S. Republican Senator Mitt Romney announced on Tuesday that he would support having a vote for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, further bolstering his fellow Republicans' push to fill the spot left vacant by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while leaving Democrats almost no hope of blocking a confirmation vote.

The unsuccessful 2012 Republican presidential nominee said it would be appropriate for a nation that he described as center-right politically to have a Supreme Court "that reflects center-right points of view."

Trump, who said he had "a pretty good idea" of his choice for the seat, is expected to announce his nominee by Saturday. He urged the Senate, where his fellow Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, to vote before the election.

The president has mentioned two women whom he has appointed as federal appeals court judges as possible nominees: Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump met with Barrett at the White House on Monday and has said he might meet with Lagoa in Florida later this week.

An outspoken critic of Trump, Romney left observers wondering whether he will lend his support for the approval of an impending nominee. 

His vote is considered a crucial one, as at least two other Republican senators have signaled their disapproval of making a nomination before Election Day. With Romney on board, Trump should have more than enough Senate votes to cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. 

By backing the president, Romney and other Republicans have dismissed Democratic arguments that the Senate should wait until after voters decide whether to re-elect Trump or chose Democratic challenger Joe Biden in November. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sunday found that a majority of Americans, including many Republicans, also wanted the election winner to make the nomination.

"The historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing party's nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own," Romney said. "I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent in considering the president's nominee."

Creating a bulletproof conservative majority in the Supreme Court could be a major achievement for the Republicans, as it would fundamentally shift the ideological balance of the court and such a shift has not happened for 50 years. 

Once Trump replaces Ginsburg with his own pick, all major contentious issues including abortion, healthcare, gun rights, voting access and presidential powers could be reshaped. 

At a campaign rally in Pittsburgh later on Tuesday, Trump thanked Romney after ridiculing him for voting to convict the president during Trump's impeachment trial in February.

"But he was very good today, I have to tell you. Now I'm happy. Thank you, Mitt," Trump said.