Fremont Tribune from Fremont, Nebraska • A5

Fremont Thursday, November 10, 2016 A5 00 1 MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump will enter the Oval Office with the ability to re-establish the Supreme conservative tilt and the chance to cement it for the long term. Trump is expected to act quickly to fill one court vacancy and could choose the successor for up to three justices who will be in their 80s by the time his term ends. The court has been shorthanded since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, and Trump has said he would seek someone in mold from a list of 21 people, mainly conservative state and federal judges in their 50s. victory was a vindication for Senate Majority Leader Mitch strategy of refusing all year even to consider President Barack nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to take seat. McConnell announced on the night that Scalia died that the vacancy should be filled not by Obama, but by the next president.

The Kentucky Republican was heavily criticized for his stance by Obama, other Democrats and even many legal scholars. Now nomination is dead, if not officially. A fifth of voters nationwide said Supreme Court appointments were the most important factor in determining their presidential vote, and nearly 6 in 10 of them backed Trump, according to exit polls. people deserved to be heard yesterday, and their voice was conservative activist Carrie Severino said in a statement that praised McConnell and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa for standing firm on the Garland nomination. If Trump sticks to the names of potential nominees that he put out in the spring and added to in the fall, he could choose among several experienced appeals court judges, minority candidates and women.

The list also is notable for its omission of some pre-eminent Republican judges and lawyers, including Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the federal appeals court in Washingt on, D.C., and Paul Clement, who served as George W. top Supreme Court lawyer. After getting a ninth justice on the court, the next big question will be whether liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Ste phen Breyer, and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the pivotal vote closest to the center, will retire during a Trump administration or try to stay on the bench in the hope that Trump is not re-elected in 2020. Ginsburg is 83, Kennedy is 80 and Breyer is 78. the longer term, it is a question of how long Ginsburg, Kennedy, and Breyer can remain.

Replacing any or all of them will tilt the Court in a much more conservative direction and can create a majority to reverse Roe v. Wade, eliminate affirmative action, strike down more campaign finance Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of California at Irvine law school said in an email. The leader of the liberal bloc, Ginsburg had been con dent Hillary Clinton would win the presidency, telling The Associated Press in July that the next president, she will would have several Supreme Court seats to fill. She, and to a lesser extent, Breyer, had rebuffed pleas from fellow liberals, including Chemerinsky, to retire while Obama was in office and Democrats controlled the Senate, which they did until 2015. Kennedy was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan, but he has been the key vote in favor of gay rights and preservation of abortion rights, among issues on which he often sides with the liberals.

Recent Supreme Court history offers two examples of Republican-appointed justices, David Souter and John Paul Stevens, who appeared to wait out presidency and then retired after election. Stevens was 90 when he stepped down from the bench. Trump has a Supreme Court vacancy to fill PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS In this June 30, 2014 file photo, the upreme Court is seen in Washington. onald rump will enter the al ffic with the ability to re-establish the upreme conservative tilt and the chance to cement it for the long term. Trump is expected to act quickly to fill one court vacancy and could choose the successor for up to three justices who will be in their 80s by the time his term ends.

OMAHA (AP) Republicans followed through on a vow to keep incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford to one term after seeing GOP challenger Don Bacon win 2nd Congressional District seat. Now, Bacon says looking to reunite the fractured district. Ashford, who once unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for the seat in 1994, conceded the race Wednesday after Bacon maintained a narrow lead in the vote. In an emotional concession speech, Ashford said serving in Congress represented a dream come true because he had the opportunity to teach Washington about way Nebraskans do His campaign emphasized his willingness to work across party lines as a moderate, just as he had in the officially nonpartisan state Legislature.

think that what has been gratifying for me has been the opportunity to represent our values in said Ashford, who also pointed to the progress made toward building a new hospital in Omaha through a public-private partnership and to securing funding for an infectious disease training program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center during his short tenure. But campaign and Republican supporters had painted Ashford in political ads as a Democratic Party puppet who most often supported the agenda of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an unpopular figure in the heavily conservative Nebraska. Bacon, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, ran on a platform of smaller government. During the campaign, Bacon touted his military experience and his time serving at Offutt Air Force Base just outside of Omaha.

The audience at his campaign office victory speech Wednesday afternoon included a bevy of state Republicans including the Republican unseated by Ashford in 2014, Lee Terry. Bacon received roars of applause for reassuring the crowd that he intended to make cuts to government spending and loosen federal regulations that he says are hindering businesses. He also signaled a desire to unite divided voters, saying he intends to represent everyone in the district and offering kind words for Ashford. an honorable Bacon said of Ashford. watched his speech today, and I teared up.

I can feel what he was feeling, and I know worked awful victory reclaims a seat that Republicans held for 22 years before Ashford was elected in 2014. The race was hard fought from the beginning, with Ashford scrambling to raise money and hold on to the seat. Libertarian Steven Laird also appeared on the ballot. Bacon praises Ashford in victory speech TODAY a merican ed Cross blood drive, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nye Legacy, Fremont.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the ed Cross lood onor a pp, visit www.red- crossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. a merican ed Cross blood drive, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wahoo igh chool. a lcoholics a nonymous big book study, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. ain Fremont.

torytime, a.m., Keene emorial Library auditorium, Fremont. Leukemia, Lymphoma and y- eloma patient and family luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Fremont ealth Park Plaza, third floor, oom 5. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact Carmen at 402-941-7363. a lcoholics a nonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Kiwanis Club, noon, Fremont Golf Club. a lcoholics a nonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. amburger night, p.m., Fremont agles Club. veryone is welcome. Narcotics a nonymous It Works Group, 6:30 p.m., Good hepherd Lutheran Church ast uilding, west of the church, 1440 ilitary a Fremont.

nter through the rear door. a cademic achievement presentation, 7 p.m., Fremont igh chool a uditorium. ver 200 hs sophomores, juniors and seniors will be honored for their exceptional academic achievement. Tim odges, director of research at Gallup, will be the featured speaker. The awards presentation will be followed by a catered reception and music by the Fremont igh chool rchestra.

The public is invited. ingo, 7 p.m., eterans of Foreign Wars Post 8223, 742 N. ain North end. veryone is welcome. Civil a ir Patrol, 7 p.m., 1201 W.

23rd in yellow hangar at Fremont a irport. Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m., Fremont ealth Park Plaza, third oor, oom 4. Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding and hope to those going through the natural grieving process. Fresh ope upport Group, 7 p.m., Fremont ealth Park Plaza, oom 5. The faith-based support group is for those suffering from mental illness or family members caregivers.

torytime, p.m., Keene e- morial Library auditorium, Fremont. Tally Toastmasters, 7-8 p.m., idland a nderson uilding, Ninth and Clarkson streets, Fremont. veryone is welcome to learn skills in communication, self-con dence and leadership. THURSDAY CALENDAR He also signaled a desire to unite divided voters, saying he intends to represent everyone in the district and offering kind words for Ashford. atthe FremontEagleClub 649NorthMainonMainFloor FREEADMISSION FALLCRAFTSHOW ProceedsgototheCombatVeteransMotorcycleAssociation LIMITEDTIMEOFFER A AC 1 NL IMI NPU A 2 Points never expire.

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