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US President Donald Trump has confirmed to fill the Supreme Court vacancy without delay left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. He delivered his words on Saturday in the first indication of his plans since the passing of 87-year-old Ginsburg. It was his obligation to nominate a replacement justice to the nation’s highest court. President said, “We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us. The most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices”. He could tip the balance of the court even if the favor of conservative justices if Trump succeeds in placing a new justice on the bench.

It would create a supermajority that would shape the country’s laws on key issues such as healthcare, abortion rights, and immigration for a generation. Democrats have rallied to oppose the move and insisted that the appointment be made after November’s presidential election. The Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden led calls for a delay.  He delivered his words on Friday evening and said, “There is no doubt, let me be clear, that the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider”. Democrats have argued that Republicans must follow a precedent they set during Barack Obama’s tenure in 2016 when GOP senators blocked the nomination of Merrick Garland to the court because it was too close to an election.

Biden said, “A basic principle of the law and of everyday fairness is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous at the moment. The rule of law, the legitimacy of our courts, the fundamental workings of our democracy all depend on that basic principle”. It is noteworthy that Supreme Court justices are lifetime appointments whose decisions shape policy by delivering the final ruling on laws. Some Republicans have long hoped that a conservative-dominated Supreme Court could one day overturn Roe V Wade. It was the landmark decision that affirmed a woman’s right to an abortion. The court will also likely rule healthcare and immigration reform in the coming years.