Could the Supreme Court remain a permanent victim of Washington gridlock? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who famously led the charge that partially shut down the federal government in 2013, raised the specter of leaving an indefinite vacancy on the Supreme Court on Wednesday. “There is long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices," Cruz told reporters while campaigning for a Senate candidate on Colorado. But even Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is more of a dealmaker, promised the GOP would be "united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up." Though Supreme Court battles are often hard fought, there has long been a bipartisan consensus that the the court needs a full slate of justices.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 27, 2016 13:08 UTC