President-elect Donald Trump's choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia won't face an easy confirmation process after Republicans blocked President Barack Obama's nominee.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told MSNBC that although Trump's nominee could have bipartisan support in the Senate, he said that is "hard for me to imagine." Instead he's ready to lead Democrats in opposing any pick they don't think is "really good."
"The consequences are gonna be down the road," Schumer said Tuesday night. "We are not going to settle on a Supreme Court nominee. If they don't appoint someone who's really good, we're gonna oppose him tooth and nail."
The minority leader added: "It's hard for me to imagine a nominee that Donald Trump would choose that would get Republican support that we [Democrats] could support," according to NBC News.
When host Rachel Maddow asked if he would try to keep Scalia's seat open, Schumer immediately responded "absolutely."
Despite the GOP majority, Republicans don't hold the 60-votes needed to bypass a filibuster on Trump's choice.
"They won't have 60 votes to put in an out-of-the-mainstream nominee and then they'll have to make a choice: change the rules," Schumer said. "It's gonna be very hard for them to change the rules because there are a handful of Republicans who believe in the institution of the Senate.
"We are not going to make it easy for them to pick a Supreme Court justice."
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