The New York Times | Source: Ideology scores are based on voting patterns and developed from the Supreme Court Database by Lee Epstein, Washington University in St. Louis; Andrew D. Martin, University of Michigan; and Kevin Quinn, University of California, Berkeley

How Long Does It Take to Confirm a Supreme Court Nominee?

The death of Justice Antonin Scalia has set off a partisan battle over whether the Senate will confirm a successor nominated by President Obama, whose term expires in 342 days. The Senate has never taken more than 125 days to vote on a successor from the time of nomination; on average, a nominee has been confirmed, rejected or withdrawn in 25 days. But few presidents have successfully filled vacancies announced in their final full year.