Legal observers on both the left and the right said Thursday if Senate Republicans stay unified, then Democrats will be unable to block President Trump’s nominee to replace retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
But will the 51 GOP senators stick together to form a narrow majority in the 100-seat chamber? Republicans could fail to lose one vote – with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie – but a loss of two votes would doom the confirmation.
The two most likely GOP senators to flip could be Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — two women who are pro-choice on abortion and who could be hesitant to confirm a nominee who may vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Kennedy was pro-Roe and part of a five-vote bloc that backed legalized abortion.
“I view Roe v. Wade as being settled law,” Collins said Tuesday, according to CBS News. “It’s clearly precedent. I always look for judges who respect precedent.”
Could Collins back a justice who opposes Roe?
“I always look at judicial temperament, qualifications, experience, the ABA [American Bar Association] rating and their respect for the rule of law and the constitution,” Collins said. “Those are exactly the same criteria that I will apply to whomever the president nominates.”
Collins and Murkowski last year backed…
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