Quotes by Senator Mitch McConnell on Confirming Supreme Court Nominations
#MitchMcConnell 2/13/16: "This ❲Supreme Court❳ vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President." » #McConnell 6/27/18: "We will…confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall." Click To Tweet
Quotes by Senator Mitch McConnell on Confirming Supreme Court Nominations
THEN
2016

“It seems clear President Obama made this nomination not, not with the intent of seeing the nominee confirmed, but in order to politicize it for purposes of the election. I believe the overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president. The American people are perfectly capable of having their say on this issue, so let’s give them a voice. Let’s let the American people decide. The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee the next president nominates, whoever that might be.”
- Feb 13, 2016
The Hill, Feb 13, 2016
McConnell: Don't replace Scalia until after election
- Feb 23, 2016
National Public Radio, Feb 23, 2016
Senate Republicans Agree To Block Obama's Supreme Court Nominee
“A lifetime appointment that could dramatically impact individual freedoms and change the direction of the court for at least a generation is too important to get bogged down in politics. The American people shouldn’t be denied a voice.”
- March 16, 2016
National Public Radio, March 16, 2016
McConnell: Blocking Supreme Court Nomination 'About A Principle, Not A Person'
#MitchMcConnell 2/13/16: "This ❲Supreme Court❳ vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President." » #McConnell 5/29/19: "❲Should a Supreme Court seat open in 2020❳ Oh, we’d fill it." Click To Tweet
NOW
2018 - 2020

June 27, 2018 -
May 29, 2019 -
CNN, May 29, 2019
In reversal from 2016, McConnell says he would fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy in 2020
Feb 13, 2020 -
Fox News (via Axios), Feb 13, 2020
McConnell says he would fill Supreme Court vacancy if it opened this year
Sept 18, 2020 -
The Senate and the nation mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the conclusion of her extraordinary American life.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/NOwYLhDxIk
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) September 19, 2020
#MitchMcConnell 2/13/16: "This ❲Supreme Court❳ vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President." » #McConnell 9/18/20: "Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate." Click To Tweet
“One of my proudest moments was when I looked at Barack Obama in the eye and I said, ‘Mr. President, you will not fill this Supreme Court vacancy.’”
– Mitch McConnell, August 6, 20161Snopes, Feb 2, 2017
Did Mitch McConnell Say One of His Proudest Moments Was Telling Obama ‘You Will Not Fill This Supreme Court Vacancy’?
retrieved 6/27/18
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her last days, Sept 20202National Public Radio, Sept 18, 2020
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87
retrieved 9/18/30