Many observers of American affairs around the world were surprised by broad and sharp reactions from various political currents in response to the death of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Beder Ginsburg.
Al-Jazeera Net presents in the form of a question and answer the dimensions of this crisis, which added more excitement to unconventional presidential elections.
What is the Supreme Court? What is its importance in American political life?
The Supreme Court consists of nine judges, a president and eight judges, appointed by the US president and approved by the Senate by voting on them by a simple majority (50% +1). , And court decisions are issued by simple majority.
The Supreme Court is the Supreme Constitutional Court, the highest judicial authority in the United States, and the final word on the major controversial cases.
Abortion comes on top of these cases since the court ruled its legality in 1973, as well as the right to marry homosexuals, which came in a famous decision in 2013, and the court's decision was decisive in the dispute over the counting and counting of votes in the state of Florida in 2000 when its decision not counted votes All Florid state to Republican candidate George Bush's victory over Democrat Al Gore.
Do Supreme Court judges enjoy political and partisan neutrality?
Judges are appointed to their posts for life, and they cannot be changed or dismissed, and in theory this gives them power and does not take into account political and ideological considerations.
However, the reality is different, and judges are chosen from the president according to his ideological inclinations and precedents for his judicial decisions.
Republican presidents choose judges who take conservative stances that are consistent with election rules in religious southern states, while Democratic presidents choose liberal judges who are socially open to the preferences of progressive voters, youth, and minorities.
Is there a balance currently between the justices of the court?
After the death of Judge Guinnessberg, the court, which historically ranged from 5 to 4, was upset and the majority changed many times throughout history, and there are now 5 conservatives versus 3 liberals, before President Trump nominates a conservative judge with whom the balance of the court is disrupted to become 6 conservatives versus 3 liberals.
If Trump succeeds in appointing a sixth conservative judge, that will ensure Republicans control major decisions for decades to come as the court's judges serve for life, unless they decide to retire.
What is the nature of the controversy that arose after the death of Judge Ginnesburg?
The dispute is related to the timing of the selection and appointment of a new judge. Republicans want the matter to be resolved quickly, while Democrats want to wait for the president who wins the upcoming elections to decide the name of the new judge.
In a similar incident four years ago, following the death of Conservative Judge Anthony Scalia in February, the Republican leader in the Senate refused to hold any hearings or initiate the appointment process for Judge Merrick Garland, chosen by President Barack Obama.
McConnell justified his position by asserting that the Senate would not confirm any nomination to the Supreme Court in a year of presidential elections out of respect for the choice of voters.
Democrats only want McConnell to stick to what he made in 2016, but Senator McConnell refused and pledged to start appointing the new judge as soon as President Trump announces the name of the new judge / judge.
How long does it take to appoint a new Supreme Court judge?
The process of appointing a new judge usually takes several months, and traditionally the president searches for the names of candidates for several weeks as he listens to his supporters and constitutional experts about his preferences for this or that judge.
The Senate has also been holding hearings and accountability sessions for the new candidate, lasting for several weeks.
Sometimes the procedures take several months, as Judge Gorsic took nine weeks to confirm and Judge Kavanaugh 13 weeks, but with a president and a Republican majority eager to finish the selection process as quickly as possible, the selection process could end before Trump's term ends.
What is the position of President Trump and the leaders of the Republican Party?
President Trump has decided to go ahead with selecting a female judge for the vacant position, and Trump is supported by most Republican senators.
As of the end of Sunday, only two Republican members of the House - Senator Suzarn Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - had expressed their refusal to vote on a new Supreme Court judge before the presidential election.
Republicans have a majority of 53 members compared to 47 Republicans in the Senate, and in the event of a tie, the vice president is used to tip one score over another.
What do Democrats fear an extra Conservative judge on the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court plays a crucial role in major political disputes, and many experts speculate that the decision to settle the results of the upcoming elections may be in the hands of the Supreme Court due to the uncertainty and disagreements associated with the mail vote.
The court is expected to hear early next year and determine the fate of the government healthcare program known as "ObamaCare," which is one of the Democratic Party's legislative achievements.
Hard-core conservatives could exploit the court's ideological tendency to change decisions regarding the right to abortion or the right to same-sex marriage.
What is the position of Democratic candidate Joe Biden?
Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, insists the decision must be postponed until after the presidential election at the end of the year.
How does Trump's selection of a new Supreme Court judge affect the presidential election?
The death of Judge Gainesberg excited voters in both parties, and the bipartisan donation doubled in the hours after the news of the judge's death was announced.
Hamas has also increased the progressive electoral base in the Democratic Party with its insistence on working to halt and thwart President Trump's bid to appoint a new judge to the Supreme Court, while the conservative evangelical movement and supportive of President Trump is rallying its bases in support of the president and a desire to name another conservative judge pushes the court further to the right.