2020 presidential candidates on the issues

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Presidential election Donald Trump Joe Biden Howie Hawkins Jo Jorgensen

This page includes statements from the2020 presidential candidates on theSupreme Court vacancy created by the death of Supreme Court JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews.

The candidates featured on this page are the 2020 presidential nominees from theDemocratic,Republican,Libertarian, andGreen parties.

Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Howie Hawkins
Jo Jorgensen

Supreme Court vacancy

Joe Biden

See also:Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2020

Statements

• September 20, 2020: Biden said during a speech in Philadelphia, "This appointment isn't about the past. It's about the future, and the people of this nation. And the people of this nation are choosing their future right now, as they vote. To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise in raw political power. And I don't believe the people of this nation will stand for it. President Trump has already made it clear. This is about power. Pure and simple. Power."^[1]

• September 19, 2020: Biden said in a statement, "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us — she fought for all of us. We’re a better nation for it. Our country made enormous progress with her legal opinions, and her dissent has left an impact on generations of Americans to come. It was her wish that she not be replaced until a new President is installed. The voters should pick a President, and that President should select a successor."^[2]

Potential nominees

As of November 2025, Biden had not released a list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

Howie Hawkins

See also:Howie Hawkins presidential campaign, 2020

Statements

As of November 2025, Hawkins had not made a statement about the Supreme Court vacancy.

Potential nominees

As of November 2025, Hawkins had not released a list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

Jo Jorgensen

See also:Jo Jorgensen presidential campaign, 2020

Statements

• September 23, 2020: Jorgensen released a list of 18 potential Supreme Court nominees. She said, "We need justices who, unlike the majority of those appointed to our highest court over the past 100 years, will strictly uphold our Constitution. We must restore the limits that our Founders imposed on federal authority and rigorously defend both individual liberty and property rights."^[3]
• September 19, 2020: Jorgensen tweeted about the Supreme Court vacancy, "I'm not going to comment on that until Justice Ginsburg's family has had a chance to mourn and lay her to rest."^[4]

Potential nominees

On September 23, 2020, Jorgensen released the following list of potential nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court:^[3]

Donald Trump

See also:Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020

Statements

• September 26, 2020: Trump announcedAmy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court. He said in a statement, “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution."^[5]
• September 21, 2020: In an interview onFox & Friends, Trump said he would announce his nominee on September 25 or September 26. He said, "I think the vote, the final vote, should be taken, frankly, before the election. We have plenty of time for that."^[6][7]

• September 19, 2020:
  • Trump said of his potential Supreme Court nominee, "It will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman. I haven't chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list."^[8]
  • Trump tweeted, "We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!"^[9]

Potential nominees

The following 46 potential nominees were designated by President Trump on lists released in 2016, 2017, and 2020.

Other policy pages

Footnotes

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