MO Secretary of State Ashcroft writes letter to Trump, citing this ‘urgent need’
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft believes President Donald Trump needs to fill the Supreme Court vacancy for a practical reason: It might be needed to decide the outcome of the presidential election.
Ashcroft, the state’s chief election official, sent an open letter to Trump on Tuesday, pushing the President to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Nov. 3.
“Maintaining the integrity of our elections, especially during this time of unprecedented enmity, is an urgent need,” Ashcroft wrote. “It is absolutely necessary to have a full nine-member Supreme Court should there be lawsuits or litigation that will need a majority in the Supreme Court to be decided.”
Ashcroft, in a tweet including the letter, said: “The country can’t afford a 4-4 split on an election question.”
Independent, not-for-profit publication “The Conversation” recently wrote about the possibility that the court might have to rule on the constitutionality of some aspect of the election, such as how ballots were counted — or not.
If the country’s highest court is deadlocked, then the lower court’s ruling remains in place.
The Supreme Court effectively decided the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, moving to end Florida’s vote recount by a 5-4 vote. Had it been 4-4, then the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to have a recount would have been upheld.
Ashcroft, a Republican running for re-election against Democrat Yinka Faleti in November, is likely to have his concerns met.
Trump said Tuesday he plans to announce his nominee at 5 p.m. on Saturday and that the country will need all nine justices in order to decide on the legality of mail-in ballots. Senate Republicans appear to have the votes for confirmation.
