New Cruz Ad Says Much Is At Stake on High Court

WASHINGTON (AP) – There’s a new campaign ad from Republican Ted Cruz today, warning that conservatives are “just one Supreme Court justice away” from losing on issues that are important to them.

Those issues, the ad says, include “life, marriage, religious liberty, the Second Amendment.” It also suggests that Donald Trump would nominate more liberal justices.

The ad comes two days after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead. His death brought an immediate declaration from Republicans that his replacement should be chosen by the next president.

President Barack Obama pledged to nominate a replacement in “due time,” even after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that responsibility should fall to the winner of the 2016 election. Even if Obama does so, a confirmation vote probably would be months away, leaving the Supreme Court in the center of the campaign during the nomination process.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, says Obama has an obligation to select a replacement for Scalia, telling CNN that “the president has to do his job.” Gonzales said that the Senate, likewise, has a role and should weigh Obama’s choice “on its own calendar.”

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