Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton clashed on the direction of the Supreme Court Wednesday night, and how to fill its vacancy during the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday night.
Trump took issue with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s comments about himself, and said he would nominate a justice who would interpret the Constitution as the Founding Fathers intended.
“The Supreme Court is what it’s all about,” Trump said. “It’s all about the Constitution of, and so important, the Constitution the way it was meant to be.” Trump insisted his potential nominees all had a “conservative bent” and were “great scholars.”
In contrast, Clinton emphasized she wanted justices who “would be in the great tradition of standing up to the powerful.”
“I feel strongly that the Supreme Court needs to stand on the side of the American people, not on the side of the corporations and the wealthy,” Clinton said.
The Democratic nominee stressed that she would like to see the Court overturn the Citizens United decision about money in politics, while upholding pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion rulings of the Court.
The candidates also split on the value of the Second Amendment and the court’s role, or lack thereof, in protecting the life of the unborn.
