President Trump nominated his justice quickly; Republican senators need to act just as fast. If history tells us anything, it’s that they may not get another chance, even if Trump is re-elected in 2020.

Clarence Thomas is now the only Supreme Court justice nominated by a president of one party and confirmed (narrowly) by a Senate controlled by the other party. The rest were appointed and confirmed in the brief periods when one party controlled both the White House and the Senate.