After reading my latest Post report, @hughhewitt tells his radio audience this morning that he hears from several leading conservatives that Justice Alito, 70, is considering retirement, and adds that he also hears the Alito family is ready to leave Washington, D.C.— Robert Costa (@costareports) July 1, 2020
A) short of the death of RBG, or the sudden retirement of one of the other "liberals" on the court, no retirement, of Alito or Thomas, really changes things.
B) If Alito retires at the end of this term, that gives the Senate September and October to install somebody; or December, if they want to work that fast. October they'll be in recess for campaigning. August is recess, too, and the GOP convenion (virtual or otherwise). I'm sure McConnell could ram someone through, but to what effect? Would anybody really switch their vote on the basis of who Trump replaced Alito (or even less likely, Thomas) with? It might even bring out a few more voters against Trump.
C) the appointment to the high court could happen. But it would exhaust the Senate and do the GOP in general, and Trump in particular, no real good. Trump would probably be better off dangling the prospect as a "secret plan" to win re-election.
Not that that would work, either.
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