Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader, announced that the Senate will not consider any nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia until after the next president is inaugurated in January. McConnell, who has been a vocal opponent of President Obama, stated that he will not even meet with the nominee chosen by Obama. According to the US Constitution, the Senate has the authority to confirm or reject the president's Supreme Court pick. Republicans are hoping that the next president, who will be elected in November, will be a Republican and will be able to fill Scalia's vacancy. McConnell stated that the nomination will depend on the winner of the fall presidential election, as Senate Republicans believe that the vacancy should not be filled by President Obama. The nominee chosen by Obama could change the court's balance for the first time in many years, as Scalia's death left the court evenly split between liberals and conservatives. The intense battle over a Supreme Court vacancy has not been seen since the nominations of Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991 by Republican presidents, and Obama has not yet revealed his choice. The White House and Senate Democrats criticized McConnell's position, with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid calling it extreme obstruction. Reid lamented the lack of compromise and rationality in today's politics. McConnell and other Republican lawmakers have consistently opposed Obama's key policies, from healthcare to climate change. McConnell referenced a previous statement by Vice President Joe Biden to defend the Senate's inaction on Supreme Court appointments. McConnell pointed out that Biden, during his time as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in 1992, had advocated for delaying the consideration of Supreme Court nominees in an election year. Biden later clarified that he was speaking hypothetically since there were no vacancies at the time. McConnell's decision to withhold confirmation hearings came after Chairman Chuck Grassley and other Republican members of the Judiciary Committee sent a letter indicating their stance. Grassley had previously suggested the possibility of holding hearings. Republican senators expressed their desire to allow the American people to have a thorough discussion before the Nov 8 presidential election on the type of judge they want to address important issues. If the Senate delays considering a nominee until after a new president takes office, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will have all nine justices before early 2017. This would leave the court short-staffed for over a year, affecting its ability to make decisions. In cases with tied 4-4 rulings, lower court decisions remain in place and no national precedent is established. Senator Reid suggested that the Republican party's strategy is influenced by its right-wing, including presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Reid stated that Senate Democrats will not block legislation like appropriations bills as a form of retaliation for Republican inaction, in order to avoid becoming known as the "obstruct caucus." White House spokesperson Josh Earnest expressed concern that denying a hearing for Obama's nominee would be unprecedented and would introduce politics to the Supreme Court, which has been insulated from such interference for over two centuries. Earnest pointed out that since 1875, a president's nominee has never been denied a hearing unless the nomination was withdrawn later. McConnell emphasized that while presidents have the right to nominate, the Senate also has the right to provide or withhold consent, and in this case, consent would be withheld. Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, predicted that pressure from voters on vulnerable Republican Senate incumbents seeking re-election would lead to a change in the Republican position regarding Obama's nominee. Schumer criticized the Senate Republicans for their risky and ultimately doomed strategy, while Senator Hatch defended their stance, stating that they are standing up for the principle that the next president should address the issue. The Democrats are at a disadvantage in the Senate, lacking the necessary votes to push through contentious legislation or a Supreme Court nominee. Currently, Democrats hold 46 seats, while Republicans hold 54, with two independents caucusing with the Democrats.