Chuck Grassley says there’s a widely accepted “understanding” that no Supreme Court vacancies be filled in the final year of a presidential term. | AP Photo Grassley hints at Supreme Court confirmation hearing in lame duck

Senate Republicans could relent on their hard-line stance in opposition to granting Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing this year, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said Monday.

The Iowa Republican said in February that “it only makes sense” that the upper chamber punt into 2017 holding hearings on a replacement for late Justice Antonin Scalia. Nevertheless, President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the high court in March.


Holding a Q & A at a meeting of the Sioux City Rotary Club, Grassley on Monday said there’s a widely accepted “understanding” that no Supreme Court vacancies be filled in the final year of a presidential term.

“It had nothing to do with Garland,” Grassley said, according to the Globe Gazette, referring to the Senate’s commitment not to give any SCOTUS nominee a confirmation hearing before a new administration takes over in 2017.

While unlikely, he added that Senate Republicans could change their position if enough senators push for a hearing after the November election, leaving the door open for Garland’s confirmation before the new Congress takes office should Donald Trump lose to Hillary Clinton.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, has no intention of holding a hearing before Obama leaves office, his team told POLITICO on Tuesday.

“The leader has been clear, the next president will make this nomination,” said Don Stewart, McConnell’s deputy chief of staff for communications.

But Grassley was optimistic that the real estate mogul could prevail over the former secretary of state, citing Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election.

“Everybody thought a movie star could not be a president of the United States,” he said.