GOP senator: Supreme Court pick who would overturn Roe v. Wade ‘would not be acceptable’

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Sunday she would not support a Supreme Court nominee who vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

“A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have, and that would indicate to me a failure to respect precedent,” Collins said on ABC’s “This Week.”

GOP Sen. Susan Collins, a key vote on Trump’s SCOTUS nominee, says, “A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have.” #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/FXt2sJN7fT

— ABC News (@ABC) July 1, 2018

Collins emphasized that respect for precedent will be the most important factor when evaluating President Trump’s choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

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Trump told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo that he does not plan to explicitly ask potential nominees whether they would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.

“[Trump] did tell me that he would not be asking that question,” Collins said Sunday. “And indeed it would be inappropriate to ask a judge nominee on how they are going to vote in a future case. A discussion of precedent, however, is very important.”

Kennedy, who announced earlier this week he will retire effective July 31, provided a key swing vote in a number of high-profile cases, including to uphold Roe v. Wade.

His retirement has set off concerns among Democrats that Trump will appoint a judge who, along with other conservative justices, could overturn the law.

Collins, who supports abortion rights, will provide a crucial vote in the upcoming confirmation process.

The president said he intends to name a nominee on July 9, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the Senate will vote on the pick this fall.