Across The Nation, Editorial Boards Decry Senate Republicans’ Rush To Jam Through A Supreme Court Nominee That Would Undermine Health Care And Imperil Basic Rights
Orlando Sentinel (FL) Editorial: Rubio And Senate Stand Small When It Comes To The Supreme Court
Washington, D.C. - The stakes couldn’t be higher: President Trump promised to nominate Supreme Court Justices who will “terminate” our health care law, risking protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. Poll after poll show that a majority Americans believe the winner of the presidential election should select the nominee. From coast to coast, editorial boards are calling on Republican senators to adhere to the precedent they set in 2016 and hold off on considering the Supreme Court nominee.
Washington Post Editorial: The Senate should ignore Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. “But Senate Republicans’ abandonment of their own Garland principle would represent a singularly dangerous step down, after which recovery might be impossible. Are there not four Republican senators, which is all it would take, with sufficient conscience or care for the country?” [Washington Post, 9/26/20]
Washington Post Editorial: Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life fighting double standards. Republicans should not embrace one to replace her. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg understood that a legitimate democratic system cannot be built on double standards; she spent her life fighting against them. A critical mass of GOP senators must find the courage to do the same thing now.” [Washington Post, 9/19/20]
USA Today Editorial: America loses titan of the law, trailblazer for women's rights. “McConnell's power play promotes cynicism and exudes hypocrisy. He and the nation would benefit by following the lead of Ginsburg, who made Americans proud of government institutions and the law.” [USA Today, 9/19/20]
USA Today Editorial: After Donald Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett, Senate now must ask these questions. “Attempting to ram through the nomination of Judge Barrett, after refusing to even consider an eminently qualified pick made by then-President Barack Obama, is a good way to undermine America’s faith in its courts.” [USA Today, 9/26/20]
CALIFORNIA
San Francisco Chronicle Editorial: With Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination, the fight for rights begins. Barrett’s record as a legal scholar and federal appeals court judge in Chicago suggest she would rule in the opposite direction of Ginsburg on everything from abortion to gun control, affirmative action – and, quite possibly, the fate of the Affordable Care Act, a challenge which is about to reach the high court in November.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 9/28/20]
Los Angeles Times Editorial: Amy Coney Barrett is qualified for the Supreme Court — but should not be confirmed. “We continue to believe that the vacancy created by Ginsburg’s death so close to the Nov. 3 election shouldn’t be filled until after the inauguration of the winner of that election, whether it is Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden.” [Los Angeles Times, 9/25/20]
Press Democrat Editorial: Honor Ginsburg by leaving politics until the election. “Pressing ahead now would further divide the nation and add to the dysfunction of its institutions, including the Senate and the Supreme Court. For the good of the nation, and to demonstrate their own integrity, the Senate should wait.” [Press Democrat, 9/22/20]
San Francisco Chronicle Editorial: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s wish for justice is ours. “Her fervent wish was ours. Her legacy must not be undone by McConnell's cynical reversal of principle.” [San Francisco Chronicle Editorial, 9/20/20]
Los Angeles Times Editorial: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court icon, is dead. The Senate should wait to replace her. “Senate action on a Trump nominee so close to the election — and in the shadow of the Senate’s refusal in 2016 to act on Obama’s nominee — would exacerbate partisan divisions and plunge the court even further into partisan politics. So, too, would confirming a justice in a lame duck session if Trump does not win reelection.” [Los Angeles Times, 9/18/20]
COLORADO
Denver Post Editorial: Ginsburg applied the law equally for decades; Cory Gardner flip-flopped on voters in four years. “Gardner and McConnell’s unabashed willingness to so quickly dispense with their ‘voters-should-decide’ insistence is astounding. Where was their constitutional duty in 2016? It was an inconvenience easily dispensed with and replaced with pretty talk of giving voters a voice.” [Denver Post, 9/21/20]
CONNECTICUT
The Day Editorial: GOP should follow its precedent, await voter choice before filling RBG vacancy. “Perhaps enough Republican senators will act with integrity and stop this hypocritical act.” [Day, 9/21/20]
FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel Editorial: Rubio and Senate stand small when it comes to the Supreme Court. “No, he’s not the only hypocrite in this drama. But by gosh, he’s our hypocrite. And his body of hypocrisy work goes beyond a Supreme Court flip-flop.” [Orlando Sentinel, 9/27/20]
Tampa Bay Times Editorial: Senator Marco Rubio, be consistent on the Supreme Court. “Senator, have the courage of your convictions. Go public and tell the president to wait.” [Tampa Bay Times, 9/21/20]
South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial: Stand by your word, Sen. Rubio, and against the mad dash for a Supreme Court appointment. “There couldn’t be a greater hypocrisy than for McConnell’s Senate to confirm any nominee this president might appoint — not after stealing that Supreme Court seat from Obama just four years ago.” [South Florida Sun Sentinel, 9/21/20]
Miami Herald Editorial: Don’t be a hypocrite, Sen. Rubio, reject push to replace Ginsburg before election. “It will be a travesty, leaving little time to vet that candidate, but just enough time to inflict another brutal and divisive process on a bitterly divided nation, all in the name furthering possibly regressive policies that will roll back strides made in civil rights, gender equality and equal justice laws.” [Miami Herald, 9/20/20]
IDAHO
Post Register Editorial: What do Crapo and Risch want the Supreme Court to be? “If Crapo and Sen. Jim Risch follow McConnell’s lead and confirm a new justice, they will do it with eyes wide open. They know what it means. It means that the court will be seen as illegitimate by a majority of Americans. Polls show most believe Ginsburg’s replacement should be nominated by the winner of the next presidential election.” [Post Register, 9/27/20]
ILLINOIS
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Mourn for now the death of a great American — and wait until 2021 to replace her. “To shove a Trump nominee to the high court through the Senate now, in the last weeks of the first term of a devastatingly divisive, self-serving and unpopular president, would be the ultimate act of betrayal by a Republican Party that long ago sold its soul in the service of political expediency.” [Chicago Sun-Times, 9/18/20]
INDIANA
Daily Journal Editorial: Wait to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Supreme Court. “If even a few more Republican senators prudently recognize the need for delay, the country and the court will be better off.” [Daily Journal, 9/21/20]
IOWA
Daily Nonpareil Editorial: Wait until 2021; he won't, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should listen to his own words from four years ago and follow the precedent he set. “There’s a chance some Republican senators will realize consistency is a reasonable request. We encourage them to reflect on what happened in 2016 and arrive at the same conclusion we have — you can’t have it both ways. A precedent has been set. Follow it.” [Daily Nonpareil, 9/22/20]
Des Moines Register Editorial: Profiles in hypocrisy: Grassley, Ernst sidestep previous positions on Supreme Court nominees. “Make no mistake, Grassley has plenty of power on this issue. He has the power to discourage other Republicans from proceeding. He has the power of his own vote. And he has the power to decide whether he will be remembered as consistent in his governing philosophy on Supreme Court nominees or as a hypocrite.” [Des Moines Register, 9/21/20]
Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial: Grassley and Ernst must oppose Trump. “And we ask our senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, to oppose this action — and should the president force through a nominee before the election, to vote against that person, no matter who it is. This nomination could invariably change not only the make up of the Supreme Court, whose nine-member vote is so often in the balance, but cast into doubt the status of our bodily autonomy.” [Gazette, 9/21/20]
MASSACHUSETTS
Springfield Republican Editorial: Amy Coney Barrett nomination must not be rushed through Senate. “What’s wrong is Trump’s insistence on slamming her appointment through before the election. As with so many things that Trump and McConnell have done, it’s raw power over principle, precedent and decency.” [Springfield Republican, 9/28/20]
WCVB Editorial: Some things are more important than votes. “The immediate priority is saving lives and families, not politicking and securing seats. As Justice Scalia said—and as Justice Ginsburg would surely have agreed—some things are more important than votes.” [WCVB, 9/25/20]
Springfield Republican Editorial: Significance of U.S. Supreme Court is now in focus. “Obamacare could be in danger. So too could many environmental regulations. And LGBTQ rights. And gun laws in states across the land. And all of that is before one even gets to abortion rights, which could soon enough become a thing of the past if the anti-Roe zealots have their say.” [Springfield Republican, 9/24/20]
Boston Globe Editorial: The Senate should follow precedent and honor Ginsburg. “Voting before the election on a nominee, as appears to be McConnell’s plan, would be hypocritical and unjust, but that would at least give voters the chance to hold senators up for re-election accountable for their choice in November.” [Boston Globe, 9/19/20]
MISSOURI
Kansas City Star Editorial: Sen. Roy Blunt calls GOP position on replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg ‘tradition.’ It’s not. “Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran have already said they agree. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, who is in his last year in public service, and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley have not yet said whether they believe there should be a vote this year. We can’t pretend to be expecting any surprises out of them, though fairness and consistency would require that they wait until after the presidential election to vote.” [Kansas City Star, 9/21/20]
NEW YORK
New York Times Editorial: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Legacy. “But perhaps a few Republican senators will take the quickened pulse of the nation and consider the case to postpone resolving Justice Ginsburg’s replacement.” [New York Times, 9/19/20]
AM New York Metro Editorial: Trump’s rush to fill Ginsburg’s seat is mutually assured Supreme Court destruction. “Trump and McConnell’s mutual selfishness threaten to bring the country to a breaking point. They must pull back.” [AM New York Metro, 9/21/20]
Albany Times Union Editorial: The Supreme Court fight. “To so deeply entrench a conservative majority, given the sorts of ideologues that President Donald Trump has put on benches, would mean that on voting rights, reproductive rights, gun control, health care and other issues, citizens will likely have to live with decisions that are out of step with most Americans' views. That's not the consent of the governed. It's tyranny of a minority.” [Albany Times Union, 9/21/20]
Auburn Citizen Editorial: A new record for hypocrisy in Washington. “McConnell has again demonstrated that he is nothing more than a power-intoxicated, partisan hack. We hope enough of his GOP colleagues realize that and stop this injustice from happening.” [Auburn Citizen, 9/20/20]
Newsday Editorial: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fighter to the end. “President Donald Trump told the Senate to quickly confirm his nominee and his choice could be announced as early as this week. Unfortunately and not unexpectedly, Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would do so. The ensuing battle will only further tear at our fragile democracy. The selection of a new justice should be made by the winner of the presidential election.” [Newsday, 9/19/20]
NORTH CAROLINA
Capitol Broadcasting Company Editorial: The election must determine next Supreme Court nominee. “It is more about election expediency than keeping your word. Donald Trump demands he needs a new Supreme Court justice on the bench to win the election. Senate Republicans – Thom Tillis, Richard Burr and South Carolina’s Lindsay Graham most prominently -- abandon their principles and dutifully comply.” [Capitol Broadcasting Company, 9/23/20]
OHIO
Business Journal Daily Editorial: Senate Should Wait on Supreme Court Nomination. “Senators of both parties should declare that they would not vote on a Supreme Court nominee this year. Should senators – including Portman — choose to advance a nominee, voters should bear that in mind in future elections, and those senators should be prepared for consequences at the ballot box.” [Business Journal Daily Editorial, 9/22/20]
Columbus Dispatch Editorial: Honor RBG’s legacy of a more-just America. “Any Republican with a shred of intellectual honesty must recognize that now, six weeks before an election, waiting to make a replacement is far more justified — as they argued four years ago. We are disappointed but unsurprised that Sen. Rob Portman, who said in 2016 that no president should nominate a justice in an election year, is saying the opposite now.” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/21/20]
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa World Editorial: The nation mourns the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg; to be consistent and just, the Senate should not consider her replacement until after the presidential inauguration. “As U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford said in 2016, ‘We should continue the long-standing election year precedent and let Americans have a voice on the future direction of the court.’ The proper, consistent, respectful and just response for McConnell and the Senate is to wait.” [Tulsa World, 9/22/20]
PENNSYLVANIA
Citizens’ Voice Editorial: Toomey's legacy depends upon "principle." “It’s up to Toomey whether his legacy will be that of a man of principle or that of shameful political opportunism couched as democratic philosophy.” [Citizens’ Voice, 9/25/20]
LNP Editorial: On the questions of honesty during a pandemic and supreme unfairness. “And now Toomey and McConnell have adjusted the made-up ‘rule’ they touted in 2016 to suit their current purposes. Now, they say it’s perfectly fine to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in a presidential election year because the Senate and White House are controlled by the same party. The straws have been grasped. The hypocrisy and shamelessness are crystal-clear.” [LNP, 9/23/20]
York Dispatch Editorial: Honor iconic judge’s wish. “Republican Toomey argued in March 2016 against filling the Scalia vacancy in deference to the pending election — which was then eight months out. Consistency would dictate he hold the same view in 2020, 46 days before the vote. America shall soon see whether Toomey and his GOP brethren are consistent or blithely opportunistic.” [York Dispatch, 9/20/20]
Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy by waiting to replace her until after 2020 election. “Trump and Senate Republicans should honor both her wishes and her legacy and not even think about filling her seat.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/19/20]
SOUTH DAKOTA
Argus Leader Editorial: Thune's Supreme Court stance shows partisanship over principle. “How are South Dakotans to take John Thune at his word? Despite rhetorical justifications for his reversal regarding when and whether a sitting president's nominee to the nation's highest court should be considered, Thune’s lodestar principle appears to be that of securing power for his party.” [Argus Leader, 9/26/20]
TEXAS
Houston Chronicle Editorial: Trump’s far-right pick will destroy court’s balance — and imperil its legitimacy. “At stake is health insurance under the Affordable Care Act for 20 million Americans, the right to reproductive choice and fundamental questions of checks on executive power – all issues on which Chief Justice John Roberts has from time to time broken with his conservative colleagues to reach a more moderate outcome. His capacity to play that role will be eviscerated if one more far-right justice is added to the court’s majority.” [Houston Chronicle, 9/27/20]
Beaumont Enterprise Editorial: Voters should scrutinize Cornyn vote on court seat. “Republicans like Cornyn should think seriously about the long-term effects of this short-term decision. Polls show that voters want the winner of the next presidential election to fill this vacancy.” [Beaumont Enterprise, 9/24/20]
WEST VIRGINIA
Register-Herald Editorial: Court nomination should wait on vote of the people. “Given the rancor that currently infests the political beehive in D.C. and across the nation, it would not be healthy for our democracy if a lame duck president and an outgoing Senate were responsible for putting its heavy thumbs on the scales of justice.” [Register-Herald, 9/26/20]
Register-Herald Editorial: McConnell is the perfect reflection of all that is wrong. “America ought to honor the last request of a citizen who gave it her all and, in doing so, made life better for millions of women – and men, too.” [Register-Herald, 9/19/20]
WISCONSIN
Capital Times Editorial: Don’t let Trump put another right-wing judicial activist on the Supreme Court. “Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin is right when she says, ‘President Trump wants to overturn the Affordable Care Act completely and take away people's health care and protections for pre-existing health conditions in the middle of a pandemic.’” [Capital Times, 9/30/20]
Capital Times Editorial: Ron Johnson is Kentucky's third senator. “The reality of the situation is that Johnson does not think for himself. He does exactly what Mitch McConnell tells him to do. As such, Wisconsin has one senator, Tammy Baldwin; while Kentucky has three senators: McConnell, Johnson and Rand Paul. In fairness to Paul, however, the libertarian-leaning Republican is far more likely to break with McConnell on a point of honor than a robotic cipher like Ron Johnson.” [Capital Times, 9/22/20]
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