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Senate not considering Supreme Court nominee until elections

24 February 2016 03:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Senate will not confirm any Supreme Court nominee before presidential elections in November, the Republican majority leader of the Senate said Tuesday, APA reports quoting Anadolu agency.

While urging President Barack Obama to reconsider even submitting a name, Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a written statement that the commander-in-chief had the right to nominate someone "just as the Senate has its constitutional right to provide or withhold consent".

"In this case the Senate will withhold it," McConnell said. Senate Republicans have insisted they would not consider any nominee until a new president is elected.

The discussion comes 10 days after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia -- renown for his conservative tendencies. Obama had vowed to nominate an "indisputably" qualified candidate who is also "fair-minded" while urging the Senate to take up in a timely fashion any nominee he puts forth.

Before Scalia’s death, the nine-member Court was split 5-4 among justices -- leaning conservative.

The possibility a liberal judge nominated by Obama becomes the Court’s next member is a main reason for Republican opposition.

Supreme Court justices have no term limits.