Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Almost half of Texas voters — 47% — said the Senate should vote on President Trump’s appointee to the Supreme Court, while 41% said the Senate should only vote if Trump wins in November, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. bit.ly/33OHVwY

2/ In September, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the legal force behind many of the successes of the women's movement — died due to complications from cancer, resulting in a long-anticipated fight over filling the Supreme Court vacancy. bit.ly/3iP7Pov

3/ Just days after Ginsburg’s death, Sen. Ted Cruz blocked a U.S. Senate resolution that noted her dying wish that a successor not be chosen until after the presidential inauguration.

"Members of the judiciary do not appoint their own successors." bit.ly/30ZCHga

4/ But not all Republicans agree with Cruz or a move to confirm a nominee before a president is elected.

Larry Hogan, Maryland's governor, said it would be a mistake for members of his party to push through a Supreme Court nominee before Election Day. bit.ly/34OcWR9

5/ With the Nov. 3 general election just weeks away, Republicans in Texas and across the country may be closer than they’ve ever been to realizing what many in the party consider the holy grail of their political goals. bit.ly/3jSSrci

6/ Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are now facing a consequential threat to issues like civil rights and abortion access.

The vacancy may also have implications for a Texas-led lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act, set for oral arguments on Nov. 10. bit.ly/33Lw7M1

7/ The lawsuit stands before a Supreme Court that's likely to tilt more conservative if the U.S. Senate quickly confirms a Trump nominee.

But Texas GOP leaders have yet to produce a promised plan to replace the ACA. bit.ly/2GNYFf2

8/ The court could also soon rule on the future of DACA, the public charge rule and the inclusion of non-citizens in the U.S. Census count, as well as what lies ahead for tens of thousands of immigrants living in the U.S. under Temporary Protective Status. bit.ly/2FmFoAR

9/ Now that President Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the stakes are even higher.

Both of Texas’ Republican U.S. senators, Cruz and John Cornyn, plan to support Trump’s nominee. bit.ly/3iSV2ld

10/10 If confirmed by the Senate, Barrett, who sits on the Illinois-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will fill Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court.

The four-day confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee have begun. Watch:
judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/nomin…