Everything at stake in the upcoming Supreme Court battle

The announcement of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday sent a shock wave through the political world. Lawmakers, journalists and members of the public flooded social media with testimonies of what the longtime champion for equal rights had done for the country.

The conversation looking back on Ginsburg’s legacy was quickly accompanied by a forward-looking discussion about what her passing will mean for the future of America’s top court. Within hours, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would hold a vote on a nominee put forward by President Trump — a reversal of his controversial stance that left a Supreme Court seat vacant during the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency.

There are significant political and logistical hurdles that McConnell must clear to confirm Trump’s nominee with just 45 days left until the election. But there’s little Democrats can do to halt the process if Republicans, who hold a majority in the Senate, remain united. The nomination process will be a major flash point in the election, perhaps even more heated than the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. GOP leaders appear to be willing to invite that controversy if it means putting another conservative justice on the Supreme Court.