126
votes
Accepted
How did the Kavanaugh confirmation move so quickly despite the serious allegations?
The situation is fairly complex so I'm not surprised it was confusing. Here's the general rundown (partially pulled from this article for brevity)
Sometime in July, Ford (Kavanaugh's accuser) wrote a ...
- 46k
80
votes
Accepted
Why won't the Republicans (RNC) use a superdelegate system like the DNC in their nomination process?
A better way to look at this question is to ask why Democrats do have such an expansive superdelegate system (Republicans kiiiiiiiiind of have superdelegates, but far less and bound to the results of ...
- 8,372
67
votes
How did the Kavanaugh confirmation move so quickly despite the serious allegations?
I'm not sure what the standard for evidence is (i.e. for references) on this site.
If you want to know, here's what I inferred from following the Twitters of a couple of (anti-Trump) American lawyers....
- 1,235
57
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Barack Obama try to force the Senate to hold hearings on SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland?
In short: separation of (coequal) powers means the President can't order any such thing of Congress. Congress does as it wills, and the constitution has very little to say about whether it does its ...
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51
votes
Why didn't Barack Obama try to force the Senate to hold hearings on SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland?
It's worth noting that Obama actually did attempt an end-run around Congress in declaring that pro-forma Senate sessions were, in fact, a "recess" as defined by the Constitution. As such, he made some ...
- 46k
50
votes
Is Donald Trump officially the Republican nominee [as of May 7th]?
No, Trump is not the official nominee until the Republican National Convention says so.
A number of things could go wrong (or right, depending on your politics) to prevent Donald Trump from becoming ...
- 4,618
37
votes
Where do I send a nomination for the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Send the nomination to the president.
The Congressional Research Service publication, A Guide to Major Congressional and Presidential Awards, Updated February 21, 2023, has the following information:
...
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34
votes
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Can the Senate confirm a SCOTUS nominee before the seat is vacant?
Yes - in 1994 the 103rd Congress voted to confirm President Bill Clinton's nomination of Stephen G. Breyer to replace Harry A. Blackmun. The nomination was received in the Senate on May 17th, and the ...
CDJB♦
- 105k
34
votes
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Can an extra nomination in the French presidential election prevent a person's candidacy?
No - this scenario is discussed on the constitutional council’s website (from the 2017 Presidential election). The process is that a maximum of fifty parrainages from one département will be ...
CDJB♦
- 105k
26
votes
Accepted
Is there any procedure or rule that prevents the President from nominating any person as Secretary of State?
There is, but it's just the requirement for Senate confirmation (like many other presidential appointments).
If a President and a majority of the Senate agree that a person can be Secretary of State ...
- 1,877
24
votes
Is there historical precedent for the US Senate to confirm a SCOTUS nominee from a POTUS of their own party in an election year?
There have been 29 total Supreme Court nominations during an election year throughout US history.
In 19 of those cases, the President and the Senate were of the same party, and the nominee was ...
- 12k
23
votes
Accepted
Is there historical precedent for the US Senate to confirm a SCOTUS nominee from a POTUS of their own party in an election year?
tl;dr: Yes, all vacancies that occurred in an election year while one party controlled both presidency and Senate were filled by that party, regardless of whether the vacancy occurred before or after ...
- 13.1k
22
votes
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What happens if a Senate Committee is 50-50 split on a nominee?
While Azor Ahai's answer is correct in general, that ties are usually resolved in the negative, the Senate power-sharing agreements negotiated for the 107th and 117th (current) Congresses, which were ...
CDJB♦
- 105k
22
votes
Accepted
What is the process for nominating a Speaker of the House?
Before each roll-call vote, members-elect are given the opportunity to nominate candidates by the Clerk of the House. They do so simply by stating that they are doing so; take for example the ...
CDJB♦
- 105k
21
votes
Is Donald Trump officially the Republican nominee [as of May 7th]?
Even though it is "probable" even above the 99% level, he is still not officially nominated by the Republican convention. Even after he has 1,237 delegates committed to vote for him (no matter which ...
- 2,662
19
votes
How did the Kavanaugh confirmation move so quickly despite the serious allegations?
Weakening of the Filibuster was one of the primary reasons this moved faster than previously possible. This weakening of the filibuster began in 2013, by then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-...
- 7,967
19
votes
Is there historical precedent for the US Senate to confirm a SCOTUS nominee from a POTUS of their own party in an election year?
There haven't been very many election year nominations in history, particularly not recent history. Going back to 1900, there have only been six nominations to the Supreme Court during election years: ...
- 1,109
16
votes
What is the process for nominating a Speaker of the House?
Supplemental answer to address the news side of it:
You're only reading about McCarthy because the Democrats are business-as-usual (nominate one person, have all D's vote for him) but don't have ...
- 23.9k
14
votes
Why didn't Barack Obama try to force the Senate to hold hearings on SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland?
Each House in Congress can arrange its own affairs:
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings ...
So "How" and "When" the Senate chooses to give or withhold its consent is a matter for ...
- 115k
14
votes
Could a Party Choose Not to Nominate an Incumbent?
Absolutely, it happens all the time. An incumbent losing to a challenger in their own party's primary election is sometimes called "getting primaried".
Search for "getting primaried" or "primaried ...
- 6,492
14
votes
How did the Kavanaugh confirmation move so quickly despite the serious allegations?
Here is a "Tick Tock"-style article about the end of the nomination and the vote. (This link is to the NY Times, but it's an AP article and available elsewhere, too.) It covers what happened when, ...
- 23.9k
13
votes
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What influence do Democrats have in stopping Trump's nominations from being approved?
If this is because of the Republicans' majority then can we assume Democrats have no power to oppose any nomination or any bill also in the next 4 years?
No. First, Supreme Court nominations and ...
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12
votes
Accepted
What requirements are there for becoming a supreme court justice?
Technically speaking, a Supreme Court justice does not have any required qualifications whatsoever in the constitution. That said, I don't believe that anyone has ever been appointed to the Supreme ...
- 89.3k
12
votes
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Can the Senate reject all cabinet nominees?
The senate could reject all candidates that a president nominated, but that would be an extreme case of partisanship. As far as the effects of such actions, the executive appointments would cause ...
- 13.9k
12
votes
Presidential appointments are made with "advice and consent" of the Senate. Are there examples of "advice"?
The term "advice and consent" is a formalism derived from the time of the British Empire. In keeping with that tradition, when the Senate puts a nomination to a vote, the question is "...
- 34.4k
11
votes
How did the Kavanaugh confirmation move so quickly despite the serious allegations?
Essentially, the Republicans had decided they were going to confirm Kavanaugh and do it fast in order for him to be on the bench for an October case. At that point, the hearings lasted only long ...
- 665
11
votes
Why is Mitch McConnell blocking nominees to the Federal Election Commission?
The FEC is meant to be a bipartisan body, meaning there should be an equal number of Democrats as Republicans. It is therefore customary for the President to work with the opposite party to ensure ...
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