Sen. Hirono Suggests Dems Could Keep 9th Supreme Court Seat Open Until 2021

EXCERPT:

REPORTER: “I just wonder and we can leave it at this, it’s possible that the Democrats are going to take the majority in the Senate, it’s possible that Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination is not going to make it through here. If it doesn’t, it seems unlikely that another nominee would be able to be confirmed before the midterms at this point, just given what the timing is, right? You wouldn’t support that kind of a rush on something, right? So, do you end up in a space then where if there’s a Democratic majority which there may or may not be, we could potentially have an opening on the Supreme Court that because of gridlock, because of an inability to agree, because of politics on both sides of it is there for two years.”

HIRONO: “I think we’ve had those kinds of vacancies before and we certainly have over a one year vacancy with Merrick Garland. So the world does not come to an end because we don’t fill all of the nominees but as I said my hope is that if Kavanaugh does not get confirmed that there will be much more of a meeting of the minds and that we’ll be able to get back to an advice and consent process.”