Politics

Biden Says Senate Should Take ‘Full Consideration’ Before Voting On Nomination To Fill Ginsburg Vacancy

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
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Former Vice President Joe Biden honored Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her passing Friday night, and stated that it would be improper for the Senate to hold a vote vote on a replacement to fill her seat without “full consideration.”

Biden, who served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Ginsburg’s 1993 Supreme Court confirmation process, called her “a giant in the legal profession,” and a “beloved figure.” (RELATED: Trump’s First Reaction To Justice Ginsburg’s Death — ‘She Led An Amazing Life. What Else Can You Say? — I’m Sad To Hear’)

“My heart goes out to all those who cared for her and care about her,” he said in a statement to reporters in Delaware. “She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice, equality and justice under the law, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us.”

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Biden urged that, in the coming days, people focus on Ginsburg’s legacy.

“Let me be clear, the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider,” he continued. “This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016 when there were almost 10 months to go before the election. That’s the position the United States Senate must take today.”

Biden further noted that “the election is only 46 days off, I think the fastest justice ever confirmed was 47 days, and the average is closer to 70 days.”

“They should do this will full consideration, and that is my hope and consideration that happen.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement following Ginsburg’s death that he planned to bring a confirmation vote for a potential nomination put forth by President Donald Trump before the end of the year.