Trump vows to only appoint anti-choice justices
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared on Fox News last night, where he fielded a question from a viewer who wanted him to “name one specific thing he would do to protect the sanctity of human life.” The GOP candidate quickly turned his focus to judicial nominees:
“I will protect [life] and the biggest way you can protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people in the court. And actually the biggest way you can protect it, I guess, is by electing me president.”
Trump added that he expects to name “as many as five” high court justices in the coming years, adding, “I will appoint judges that will be pro-life, yes.”
I think there are two broad angles to keep in mind with a quote like this one. The first is the extent to which Trump’s position relates to his party’s Supreme Court blockade. Senators like Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and others don’t like to see it framed this way, but Republican lawmakers aren’t just holding open a court vacancy for a year in order to empower Trump, they’re also doing so to help guarantee the confirmation of “judges that will be pro-life.”
Or put another way, GOP senators are operating from an informal plan: partner with Donald Trump so the Supreme Court can roll back the clock on reproductive rights.
The second is Trump’s apparent plan to make the gender gap between the parties much, much worse.
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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-promise-i-will-appoint-judges-will-be-pro-life
