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Published 10:35 IST, September 19th 2020

McConnell: Senate will vote on Trump court pick

The White House has lowered its flags to half-staff in memory of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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The White House has lowered its flags to half-staff in memory of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ginsburg, the court’s second female justice, has died at her home in Washington. She was 87.

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The court says Ginsburg died Friday of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote on President Donald Trump's pick to replace Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, even though it's an election year.

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The Republican Senate leader issued a statement Friday night, about an hour and a half after the Supreme Court announced the liberal justice's death.

When conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, also an election year, McConnell refused to act on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the opening. The seat remained vacant until after Trump’s surprising presidential victory.

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Trump ended up nominating Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed to the court.

The 2020 election is 46 days away.

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McConnell had earlier said he would move to confirm a Trump nominee if there were a vacancy this year.

 

10:35 IST, September 19th 2020