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| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks after meeting with Senate Republicans, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press) |
At least one protester was arrested Saturday after a group of about 100 people gathered outside the Kentucky home of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The Senate majority leader is a key figure in determining whether a nominee appointed by President Trump will succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before Election Day.
“Ruth Sent Us,” and “No Ethics No Shame,” read some of the signs carried by crowd members in Louisville, local FOX station WDRB-TV reported.
“Hey-hey, ho-ho, Mitch McConnell has got to go,” others chanted.
Reports were unclear on whether McConnell was at home in Kentucky or in Washington on Saturday.
In addition to the impending battle over the court vacancy, McConnell, 78 – a member of the Senate since 1985 -- also faces a reelection fight on Kentucky’s November ballot.
One protester was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and improper parking, after police determined she used a pharmacy parking lot without planning to patronize the store, the Courier Journal of Louisville reported.
After facing the towing of her vehicle, the woman went inside the store and bought a six-pack of beer but police arrested her anyway, the report said.
The arrest prompted other protesters to start chanting, and one member of the crowd kicked a glass door and damaged it, the newspaper reported.
Other protesters agreed to move vehicles that were blocking traffic on a nearby street, following a police request.
Any Supreme Court nominee selected by Trump must win confirmation from the GOP-led Senate before joining the court on a lifetime appointment. The process includes confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
As Senate leader, McConnell would determine when or if a vote on a nomination would be held. Democrats and some Republicans have argued that any vote on a Trump court pick should be delayed until after the Nov. 3 presidential election.
But McConnell has faced criticism for his 2016 decision to deny former President Barack Obama a Senate vote on his high-court choice, Merrick Garland, with the 2016 election between Trump and Hillary Clinton just months away.
In his Senate race, McConnell is seeking a seventh term. He is facing Democrat Amy McGrath, a former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed McConnell with a double-digit lead over McGrath, the Courier Journal reported.
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