On March 16, 2016, Senate Republicans made clear that they would not even hold confirmation hearings for Garland, much less schedule a vote on whether he should ascend to the Court. Given that, you could be forgiven for being surprised by this headline on CNN on Monday night: " Republican leaders vow to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy this year, despite some apprehension ." Passing up the opportunity to reshape the court in a conservative direction for decades to come is not something Senate Republicans are going to do. "I'd like to fill a vacancy," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Monday. McConnell back then believed that a "lame-duck" president should not have the opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

Source: CNN July 21, 2020 15:22 UTC