Supreme Court battle – a black swan ++ Lindsay Graham

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a liberal voice on the Supreme Court, has died which has thrown a fireball into the run up to the US Presidential election. The process of selecting her replacement is likely to raise rancour considerably with the Republicans aiming to railroad the Senate vote through quickly in contrast to 2016 when they stonewalled Obama’s choice until after Trump was elected. Though they could hold back if they thought they’d lose or if it might persuade more GOP supporters to go to the polls.

   Mitch McCcnnell, Senate Majority Leader, has pledged there will be a Senate vote for Trump’s nomination which could even happen after the election in the ‘dead’ period before the inauguration.

  McConnell, 20 February 1942, will be under great pressure and feeling discouraged with tr Pluto trine his Saturn now till late November, but he’s temperamentally super-determined and stubborn to the nth degree with a Mars, Saturn, Uranus conjunction in Taurus, plus Pluto in Leo and Venus Mercury in Aquarius – very Fixed and won’t budge easy. He’s rattling through a few crises from late November right through till late January after which he’s on a panicky downhill slide.

  He’s very locked into the USA 1776 chart with a composite Sun Mercury opposition Pluto, so power and control are significant issues. What shows up as a flash point on various SCOTUS-related charts, and McConnell’s own, and his relationship chart with the USA, is Uranus at 7 degrees from 21 November to 21 December this year (and again in February 2021). That may not be a new nomination but could be a post-messy election result battle. But it will be a high tension four weeks for sure.

   The Supreme Court chart (SCOTUS) 2 February 1790, is nervy and panicked this year and highly uncertain in 2021. Tr Saturn squares the SCOTUS Neptune now till late October over Ruth Ginsberg’s death and vacancy; with a jolting Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Saturn this year; and tr Pluto square the Neptune from early 2021 to late 2022 which will at least be exceedingly confused if not devastated; and tr Neptune will conjunct the SCOTUS Saturn from late March 2021 on and off for a year for protracted concerns. Tr Uranus will square the SCOTUS Uranus for the second time this late November to late December, which will shake up its security considerably.

  That 7 degree transiting Uranus also shows up on John Roberts’ chart with his Sun hovering between 6 and 7 degrees depending on his birth time. It’ll certainly be a time of sudden changes and upsets for him. He looks exceptionally stressed in the second week of December but much relieved from late month onwards.

  I’m not sure if William Barr, the AG, will end up embroiled in this but more than likely. He’s facing, like McConnell, a fairly mountainous struggle between now and late November; but worse than that from this October 2nd to late January 2021 he’s facing rolling disasters which he won’t have the will or capability to overcome.   

   Taking the long astrological view, there was always going to be anguish and gnashing of teeth through and after this election with tr Pluto continuing to oppose the USA Mercury across this New Year and through till late 2021, followed by the Pluto Return in 2022/23. Whatever events precipitate the outbursts of intense hostility the angst will run on.

Add On: Another key figure will be Lindsay Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee charged with processing Supreme Court nominees. In 2016 he was clear that if a Supreme Court vacancy occurs in the final year of the term it should wait for the next president to decide. He’s now changed his tune and is pushing for an immediate replacement.

Born 9 July 1955, he has spread through Cancer his Venus, Sun, Uranus and Mars – with Mars Uranus square Neptune being blocked by tr Saturn hard aspects until early December; with a frustrated/trapped tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Mars midpoint running till late November as well.  Plus at some point his Solar Arc Pluto blocking his Uranus and Mars – through this year and maybe next depending on his birth time. He’ll have some cheer from March 2021 with tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Jupiter midpoint but that runs alongside a whole raft of undermining, disappointing and downright disastrous transits to mid points from late March onwards for a year or so.  

No clear indicators of what refers to the SCOTUS vote but he’s generally speaking not doing well.

47 thoughts on “Supreme Court battle – a black swan ++ Lindsay Graham

  1. Morning. The announcement of the nominee is supposedly going to be this coming Saturday at 5pm. I say supposedly because you never know. Any thoughts?

    • Amy Coney Barrett (born January 28, 1972)
      Devout Catholic, seems to be the favorite Has been interviewed Several times by Trump and According to NBC apparently left her state to travel this morning

  2. Another top contender mentioned for SCOTUS is Cuban-American Judge Barbara Lagoa here in Florida. She was appointed to Florida’s 11th Circuit Court of Appeals over a year ago.

    According to AlterNet, Lagoa is currently involved in a $100 million controversial lawsuit involving Trump’s senior campaign strategist Jason Miller.

    In other words, I’m not at all surprised that by this – anyone Trump is considering is bound to be embroiled in some kind of scandal, controversy, or legal battle.

  3. On Graham: —Saturn hard aspects until early December; with a frustrated/trapped tr Pluto opposition his Sun/Mars midpoint running till late November as well.—
    I read up in Robert Hand’s Planets in transits: and some of the paragraphs struck me in particular tr Saturn opposition Mars:
    —Your own or own else’s ego energies and will to dominate are running rampant in your life— You have a very strong drive to win, to succeed, if necessary, exercise dominion over others in your drive to succeed. Feelings are perfectly fine if you you use them wisely. If you let the energy out with no restraint, you may rough shot over everyone in your way and scramble furiously to the top. But in doing this you are likely to arouse truly horrendous opposition from people who struggle to the death to prevent you from succeeding. Your actions make it clear to others that you are a threat to them at the deepest psychological & even physical levels of their lives.
    So that is clearly playing out at the moment as his opponent Jamie Harrison has raised millions of dollars and very slightly ahead In SC

  4. I’m actually feeling a bit more relieved about the SCOTUS situation….because my Mother (who is also an astrologer) took a look at Amy Coney Barrett’s (the judge who many believe Trump is going to pick) her natal chart. We don’t have an exact birth time for Barrett….but what my Mother could see in her chart was better than what either of us expected. Amy Coney Barrett appears to be conservative….BUT…the astrology suggests she may not be as conservative as some of the most hardcore Republicans are hoping for. For starters, Amy’s Sun is in Aquarius – which would indicate she thinks of people as a whole and would suggest she might have more of a humanitarian outlook on certain things (Aquarius is usually more progressive and humanitarian). She also has Venus in Pisces – which might make her a bit more sympathetic and she has feelings (something most ultra-conservatives lack entirely). Amy also has Jupiter in Sagittarius – so, she’s very likely to be lucky in law. Also, she has her Moon in Cancer – which could be seen as a nurturing and supportive aspect. And…she has her Venus trines her Moon – which could make her empathetic. In other words, Amy Coney Barrett may not be the alt-right, anti-Obamacare, anti-civil rights, etc. conservative the hillbilly racist redneck conservative Mitch McConnell and his cronies want. So, this might explain why many astrologers (including the one I’ve been consulting for years) is suggesting McConnell and the GOP may not get EXACTLY what they’re hoping for.

    • “In other words, Amy Coney Barrett may not be the alt-right, anti-Obamacare, anti-civil rights, etc. conservative the hillbilly racist redneck conservative Mitch McConnell and his cronies want.”

      Aquarius also notably products Fascists and other zealots. This is especially true for Aquarius Sun/ Cancer Moon combination. And, Amy Coney Barrett is, per NYT reporting, part of a controversial Charismatic prayer group People of Praise. She has ideas on how a womb should be used, not just hers, but other women’s, too. The regret those Republican leaders may come to experience with her will not be for her “going liberal”, but her holding them to their standards.

      • @ Solaia and Marjorie,

        I’m aware of the flip side to Aquarius. And Amy’s chart does indicate she’s very much set in her ways and her religious beliefs (her chart also shows she could be very stubborn too).

        However, her chart does suggest that she might have a high regard for the rule of law too….so, I’m thinking it’s not entirely certain she would strike down legislation that the people have benefited from for years.

        • “….so, I’m thinking it’s not entirely certain she would strike down legislation that the people have benefited from for years.”

          This is not how legal argumentation works, at all. She is on record for stating she sees defunding services offering abortion as an option. This, essentially, means defunding Planned Parenthood. This will, essentially, drive these services away from areas they can’t receive State or private support. States currently in hands of Republicans essentially become “forced delivery” States for women not having means to travel hundreds of miles for the procedure. Subsequently, they will also become “risk delivery” states. Texas, for instance, already has maternal mortality rate more akin to Developing World than OECD country.

          My hope here lies on her not being Trump pick, because she might “go Gorsuch”. I’m certain Mitch McConnell thinks he can “help” Trump in the choice. But Trump acts purely on self preservation, he wants someone who will keep his taxes secret, and has hardly ever touched abortion right issues, likely because he is pro HIS choice, and has paid for more than one himself. Trump picking someone with any dirt Dems can dig on a là Kavanaugh. This will be extremely embarrashing for Republican Senators who’ve pretty much committed to put just about anyone through. And it will help Dems with Senate.

          • @ Solaia,

            It’s been announced today that Mitt Romney is in support of moving forward with the vote. So, McConnell now has more than enough votes to proceed.

            At this point, it’s not even worth debating….they GOP is getting this seat unfortunately.

      • Barrett’s record as a judge shows that she is extremely conservative based on her Judicial record pertaining to Indiana anti-abortion legislation signed into law by VP Pence when he was governor. Herein lies the problem the judges’ decisions are based on their religious convictions instead of precedent of the law.

        The Supreme Court chart (SCOTUS) 2 February 1790, is nervy and panicked this year and highly uncertain in 2021. —- It the Dems take House & Senate and have a veto proof majority it could indicate a fight over the expansion of the court.

        • @ Anita, I doubt that Biden would agree to expand the court so don’t get your hopes up, but after 2024 anything will be possible.
          My take on the next four years is that not much will change and unfortunately a lot of Democrats are going to be disappointed if Biden wins.
          Everyone is going to ‘feel’ the change after the Aquarius Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in December, but we still haven’t completed the Capricorn breakdown and the 1% will fight tooth and nail to hang on to their wealth and the power attached to it.

          • Yes but we’ll have wait & see. Constitutionally speaking, Congress doesn’t need Biden’s approval. However if SCOTUS will strike down Legislation that Biden favors over and over, which is what happened with FDR then the push for court expansion by the Dems will continue to grow. It will be at the very least an on going fight maybe all the way to 2024

        • “It the Dems take House & Senate and have a veto proof majority”…
          A veto-proof majority is 2/3 of both Houses. The Democrats are just slightly favored to win 50% of the Senate (and would have a majority with the casting vote of Kamala Harris, if they win the Presidency).
          The odds of them winning a “veto-proof” majority are nil.

    • @ Dick Cheney has an Aquarius sun but it is square his Taurus moon which I believe is why he is conservative.
      Sarah Palin has also has an Aquarius sun but it is conjunct Saturn and Mars.

  5. It’s possible Mitch McConnell gets his way and gets another conservative SCOTUS sworn-in before the election (I believe he announced he has the votes). However, all of the polling and the amount of money raised by small donors (ActBlue announced they raised over $160 million in just 48 hours after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death) suggest that this could galvanize Democratic voters the most.

    Another astrologer did predict McConnell might get his way with the Supreme Court….but the astrology suggests he might not be happy with the political repercussions as a result. So, I’m just hypothesizing here, but this could mean the GOP loses their Senate majority (all of the polling averages and forecast models suggest Democrats have a 60% of taking back the Senate)…as a result of the SCOTUS decision….because people (women in particular) are deeply concerned about ACA and Rowe vs. Wade.

    Also, if elected, Joe Biden could actually expand the Supreme Court (which Democrats are now saying is a likelihood now) to 11, 12, or even 13 to balance out the court.

    All in all, all of these possibilities might explain why Mitch McConnell (astrologically) looks like he’s between a rock and a hard place.

  6. Hugh, since the US was founded, the life expectancy has increased substanstially. So if you were appointed to the Supreme Court in the 1840’s, you had a limited number of years to make your mark or do any damage (depending on one’s point of view). The lifetime appointments are reserved for the federal court system because the founding fathers wanted the judges to be immune from popular passions and make their deicisions based on legal reasonsing. Federal judges can be impeached and removed from office for a limited number of reasons; in the 1960’s there was a movement to remove a Supreme Court justice because he was appointed as a conservative, but started making decisions that conservatives did not like. Believe that was Earl Warren. There was one brilliant jurist who stayed on past his expiration date and caused quite a stir, marrying a woman that was like 50 years younger than he was –William O. Douglas.

    Part of the reason the court is held in higher regard than some other insititutions is because they tend to stay out ot the political. Probably sounds crazy to others, but it makes sense to us.

    • Anne, lifetime appointments absolutely makes sense also to me, as a non-American given the historical context. You really have to consider how precarious The Republic was when founders decided judges would be lifetime appointments. There is extensive writing from Signatories of Declaration of Independence on judical independece, most importantly the willingness George III showed in unseating judges not ruling on “crown’s” favor.

      And, as much as we’d like to see development having been made in almost 250 years, it really isn’t the case in many “young” Democracies. See Hungary and Poland, where independence of judicial branch is either gone or threatened by authoritarian forces.

      • The tenure of judges being for “good behaviour” has been the case in English law since 1701 and the Act of Settlement 1701 so about 60 years before George III. And to the best of my knowledge, he did not attempt to interfere with the Act of Settlement or the independence of judges.

        Indeed, this concept was copied into US law almost verbatim from English common law as it was then.

        The difference is that the English (and almost all the Commonwealth that follow English common law) interprete it to allow for a uniform retirement age to be imposed on judges (who are politically neutral in the UK anyway), whereas the US interprete it to mean a lifetime tenure.

  7. Graham is a facinating character. Republicans are more Homo-Reptilian than Sapien it seems. Rand Paul for example is akin to a snake, but Graham is like a chameleon who changes colours easily for political expediency. No compunction about talking out of both sides of his mouth on a dime, then cries crocodile tears in supposedly tender moments. Then the Grim Reaper(self proclaimed)/Moscow Mitch/Iguana lizard who patiently waits on the right moment to strike with a venomous bite. And finally, the big reptile in chief, T-Rex Trump; a large, loud, aggressive, impulsive lizard with a small brain.
    What a motley crew.

  8. Can someone explain why Supreme Court judges in the US can serve until they die ? To an outsider like me it seems an odd almost monarchical principle where the incumbent plods on until they shuffle off this mortal coil. In most countries there seems a fixed retirement age for these posts of about 70-75 which seems a more sensible arrangement as it would be known in advance when most judges were going to leave post. Surely that would at least limit all the political wrangling seen currently.

    I have to agree with Marjorie that the charts for the USA don’t look that optimistic currently. My fear is that we are going to see a rerun of 2016 in the election with Trump possibly winning a minority of the popular vote but taking the electoral college. At least one data analyst who called the 2016 Presidential election thinks this a distinct possibility even though the conventional polls suggest otherwise. I think this would be a disaster not just because I think Trump is a poor President (in most areas he has achieved little or nothing) but because it means the US will remain dangerously divided. This is a scenario which would suit the USA’s enemies elsewhere in the world just fine.

    I don’t put all the blame at Trumps door on this matter because I think the Democrats have a lacklustre candidate and have not run a very inspiring campaign. Worse a lot of the media focus recently has been on the activity of extreme radicals and like it or not that historically damaging for parties on the left (just ask the U.K. Labour Party). What most of those who don’t like Trump fail to understand is that their barely concealed loathing of him plays right into his hands as his whole strategy relies on his divisiveness. Throughout his Presidency he has been laying out bait on the water which his opponents have unfailingly risen to bite. As a consequence all political debate has been carried out on his terms. The Democrats needed to shift the debate to more inclusive and positive policies (the politics of the democratic left is basically about selling hope) but my impression is that they have bought into the negative and divisive world view which Trump has lured them.

    • I searched a bit. Having a lifetime appointment frees the judges from political bias, modulated president to president.

      Regarding Mango T-Rex, well, I’m committed to overlooking the next several years influenced by the Pluto return. Do you really think mere mortals can have an influence on that kind of outcome? The house of cards must fall, and then be rebuilt.

    • In the UK judges were appointed for life until the 1960’s so we had such luminaries as Lords Denning and Diplock going on into their eighties. However, the position was reformed In the Sixties so that judges had to retire at 75 and later reduced to 70 in the late nineties. Although life tenure does supposedly immunise judges from political influence (especially if they have to be reappointed at regular intervals) you do get landed with some dinosaurs. In the U S Eisenhower appointed The republican Marshall as the Chief Justice and on appointment he turned out Liberal much to the dismay of his appointer.
      Whatever, it is not good that an important court is split on ideological grounds. It was a sign of maturity that the recent UK Supreme Court decision on prorogation of Parliament was unanimous. Looking back the US Supreme Court Unanimously found against Nixon in 74. One cannot see that happen today as is shown by the astrology.

  9. In going further to try and allay fear and panic among the liberally inclined, I encourage everyone to read 5 previous readings by Marjorie.
    Romney’s chart(which she has his birth time to the minute), Obamacare chart, USA & Trump chart, Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham’s charts.

  10. A quote for context: “Voter turnout in 2018 appears to have reached the highest level of any midterm election in a century.

    According to the United States Elections Project, a sort of database about the United States electoral system, 49.3 percent of the voting-eligible population turned out to vote this year, with more than 116 million ballots being counted so far. That’s the highest voter turnout percentage since 1914, when 50.4 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. It surpasses 1966, the previous high, when turnout was 48.7 percent.”

    And what happened just prior to this marvel? The Kavanaugh conundrum. Widely estimated at the time to spur Republican turnout, but what they miscalculated was how pissed the Dems(women especially) were as well, which produced the “blue wave”.
    They say technically history doesn’t repeat itself, but it certainly can rhyme!

  11. Death of a good person is usually tragic, but there may be an upshot to her passing; bear with me here. Republicans are more focused on judges than their counterparts. So this tragedy may just galavanize Democrats to vote with urgency like nobody’s bizniz! The timing of her passing coincides with the start of early voting. So though the GOP are licking their chops and salivating, this may also be fortuitous in turning out Dems to the “nth degree”.
    Hell of a wake up call!

    • I just wrote about how this could be good for Republicans in tight Senate races, but yes, this can go other way too. I saw AOC’s video message on how this makes it paramount for those Progressives who thought of not voting to vote for Biden (and I guess down ballot Democrats, this only was an extract), because otherwise, marginalized communities already suffering won’t stand a chance. This was, again, just spot on political messaging.

      I think this could really be a defining issue helping Biden with more “leftish” Latino communities who voted for Bernie in primary or have historically low participation. It could, actually, tip Texas, where Latino turnout has historically been low.

      • @Solaia: Texas highly likely won’t turn blue this cycle. Pennsylvania is the crux for Dems victory. Based on current trends, they could lose FL(overhyped), WI, AZ, NC, OH and still win so long as they pick up PA, which is looking good for old “blue collar Joe”.
        And on a side note, contrary to popular opinion and hype, Florida is never that important for Dems as it is to the GOP for victory. Gore lost to Bush because Dema lost NH in that year.

        • Why FL is important for Dems this year:
          1) Dems have several pathways to an EC victory; they do not need FL.
          2) Reps have a much narrower pathway/s to an EC victory; they need FL.
          3) If the Dems win FL it’s pretty much game over; worth a shot to win it.
          4) Additionally, FL gets its results tallied efficiently, so final numbers will likely be known on election night or shortly thereafter. This would help short-circuit the “mail-in ballots are fraudulent” narrative.

        • @Troy, yes, I agree Texas is unlikely, yet, but I think it will be too close for comfort for Republicans. Higher Latino turnout would help with down ballot in many district. Also, something that’s often forgotten is how Black parts of Texas are. Austin and Houston have some ridiculously gerrymandered congressional districts, and they may need to start messing around with Dallas, which, I learnt recently, has a Black Democrat Mayor (and yes, I know, it’s a huge metro area and there are very conservative white residential towns around, but I’m interacting with people from Dallas for work, some are transplants but have been to the area for 20-30 years, and they say they see a lot of change). But high turnout will help Democrats at State Capitol, which is where congressional districts are drawn.

          Also, I agree on Pennsylvania. It’s unlikely a 2016 fiasco will duplicate there. I think Trump can truly thank lower Black turnout there. I think this won’t happen this year.

        • @ Troy, there ‘s more at stake in Texas this year than the presidential and the U.S. Senate races.
          Democrats have the possibility of taking control of the Texas state house which will control Congressional redistricting which Democrats need because Texas along with Florida and Georgia will be gaining seats after the census while California and the northeastern states will continue to lose seats and Florida and Georgia have Republican dominated legislatures so they will definitely gerrymander those new seats in favor of electing more Republicans.

          In Texas, even though Republicans gerrymandered the Congressional districts to hell and back after the 2010 census several Republican districts have trended Democratic since 2016 because of the influx of people moving from California.

      • @ Solaia,

        It many of the Republicans who are up for reelection this year represent blue or blue-leaning states. In 2018, it was quite the opposite.

        I’m not sure if the GOP would benefit from ramming another justice through at this time given that Cory Gardener (Colorado), Susan Collins (Maine), Martha McSally (Arizona), and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) have all been trailing heavily against Democratic challengers in the polls.

        We’ll have to wait and see though.

        • @ Chris, the only problme is regardless who wins in November McConnell will still have the lame duck session to ram through RGB’s replacement because I don’t trust Collins or Murkowski to keep their word.

          • @ Roderick,

            I know. In fact, Mitch McConnell announced earlier today: he has the votes needed to proceed. Even Mitt Romney is going along with it….and Susan Collins probably will too.

            At this point, it does appear this is a done deal. Only thing we can do now is hope that Democratic voter turnout is through the roof this year and that Biden / Harris win the White House, and Democrats get at least 50 seats in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are already expected to keep the U.S. House.

            Biden has refused (publicly) to commit to expanding the SCOTUS….but he likely would if he has the majority. Expanding the court is really the only option now if there is to be any kind of ideological balance.

    • It won’t matter because there is a lame duck session after the elections and McConnell can wait until after the election and give the Republicans in tight races cover so this won’t be used against them and still be able to ram though the nominee if Republicans lose control of the Senate.
      I will go further that most Democratic voters don’t understand the significance of the federal judiciary much less the Supreme Court because that open seat didn’t galvanize them to get their behinds to the polls in 2016.

  12. Republican Party founded March 20, 1854. Neptune was 14 degree in Pisces.
    Now, 166 years later, Neptune has completed one sidereal cycle to conjunct itself (exactly in 2017).
    This conjunction coincides with the election of Trump. What does it signify for the Republican Party to experience a Neptune return? Nov. 3, 2020 election chart shows Jupiter (Republicans) applying to conjunction with Pluto.
    Saturn (Democratic Party) is at home in its own sign, Capricorn. I think these two factors would favor the Democrats. Any comments, please?

  13. In one word devastating for equal justice and women’s rights. This turn of events and the way McConnell will handle this may destroy the very fabric of democracy in the US.

  14. Justice Ginsberg was a giant. Her miscalculation in assuming Hillary Clinton would win the presidency and appoint her replacement is forgivable, as few believed Trump would win. I have lived through many tumultuous times as an American, but none as dark as now. We have an erratic and emotionally disturbed president who has robbed the federal coffers blind, destroyed our alliances, smashed societal and moral norms, and with fundamentalist conservative justices, we’ll soon be living a real life version of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I personally believe that four swing rural states and the Electoral College will give him four more years. Please, Marjorie, if you see any positive influences at all in the next year, let us know. It is inconceivable that we have left our proud position as world leaders and philanthropic helpers to the world, to legitimize the criminal and science-denying Trumpers–yet here we are. My question for you is, for how long? I sincerely fear a correction will not come in my lifetime.

    • There remains long-term hope, From Marjorie’s post 31 aug 2020,

      “Add On: I’ve been so focussed on the election and immediate aftermath I completely overlooked the cataclysmic state of Trump’s chart moving ahead.

      In addition to the Neptunian low energy/low confidence swamp he moves into courtesy of transiting Neptune from next spring for two years he has a run of disastrous Solar Arcs. Mid to late 2021 his Solar Arc Saturn is conjunct his 2nd house Neptune which will bring a significant panic and rising neurosis possibly around his personal finances. In addition he has Solar Arc Neptune opposition his 10th house Uranus which may have a dissolving action on one of the planks of his career – and could also have a neurological component. Worse by far is Solar Arc Mars square his 12th house Pluto from mid 2022, followed swiftly by Solar Arc Pluto square his Saturn, both of which are likely to run him into a dead-halt meltdown. These Solar Arcs are not dependent on his birth time – but what it does mean in the unlikely event of his re-election that he would almost certainly not see out the term.”

    • Mitch McCcnnell, Senate Majority Leader, has pledged there will be a Senate vote for Trump’s nomination which could even happen after the election in the ‘dead’ period before the inauguration.

      I mentioned this in questions and comments, but since they will go away, I’ll write it down here too:

      What ever McConnell’s transits are, he is in a tough spot, because his best bet for holding Senate Majority is to invigorate GOP conservative base by dragging the Nomination for after Election, because while Republicans will pick up Alabama, that’s all they have here. On the other hand Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Maine, in this order, are almost certain Democratic pickups, followed by a surprisingly tight race in South Carolina and Montana. It would help incumbents there enormously if they could make nominating a Justice who is against stricker gun control and/or for States’ right to limit abortion rights a talking point. McConnell himself isn’t going to loose his seat, but he could loose his status as Majority Leader.

      In fact, right now there are at least 5 GOP Senators who’ve said they won’t confirm any nomination before Inauguration.

      I also think that ultimately, if anyone at Trump’s camp would really care about this, they’d probably slow the process down too, because there are tons of former Republican voters who could be wan over again. But here, I don’t think Trump really has the patience or the nerve to wait. He wants to be the President who nominated 3 SCOTUS during his first term – I think Obama nominated 2, so there’s that, too.

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