Mitch McConnell and other top Senate Republicans insisted Tuesday afternoon that they had no intention of considering any nominee for the Supreme Court put forward by President Obama. On Tuesday evening, McConnell met behind closed doors with House conservatives anxious to know whether McConnell really meant it—and they heard exactly what they wanted to hear, reports Politico. "There's not a snowball's chance in hell that's gonna happen," McConnell reportedly said.
At least one member of the court doesn't sound all that stressed about the prospect of going with only eight justices for a long stretch. "There’s nothing in the Constitution that specifies the size of the Supreme Court," Justice Samuel Alito told graduating law students on Tuesday, per the New York Times. "There were times in the history of the court when the court had an even number of justices. They must have been more agreeable in those days." As for the possibility of dealing with 4-4 cases for a year, "we will deal with it." (More Mitch McConnell stories.)