A duly elected President is tasked with nominating a justice to fill a vacant seat. President Obama honorably and faithfully carried out that task when called upon.
Would he have done so 40+ days prior to a Presidential Election? Highly doubtful.
What is the appropriate about of time and space before an election to decline making a nominee?? 4 months? 6 months?
I do know that 10 months (Judge Garland) was ample time for President Obama to make that nomination.
Mitch and the GOP Senate took the position that the vacant seat could remain vacant for months and months until the election. I submit that their oaths of office required the Garland nomination to see the light of day, and to be voted upon, ... what Ned hopefully means by "duty."
It seems the GOP position (shared by posters here) is that the new rule is that Supreme Court seats should only be filled when the President and Senate majority are of the same party.
Hence, if there 3 seats become vacant, a GOP controlled Senate should let those seats sit vacant indefinitely, if the President(s) is a Democrat. Such a scenario seems irresponsible. But apparently, that is the new protocol.