CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin said Wednesday that the landmark abortion decision in Roe v. Wade is "doomed" now that President Donald Trump is to pick a nominee for the Supreme Court.
Toobin and Ken Cuccinelli joined CNN host Brooke Baldwin to discuss the future of the court and Trump's potential nominee after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced Wednesday he would be retiring, effective July 31.
Toobin argued the retirement of Kennedy, who was seen as a moderate vote on the Court when it came to social issues, left the door open for Trump to appoint a more socially conservative justice who might challenge the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. Kennedy was widely seen as a committed vote to keep abortion legal in the United States.
"Let's talk facts. Let's talk about what America is going to be like that's different. You're going to see 20 states pass laws banning abortion outright, just banning abortion, because they know that there are now going to be five votes on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and abortion will be illegal in a significant part of the United States in 18 months," Toobin said. "There is just no doubt about that and that's why these seats matter so much."
"Somebody has the last word and here it's the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade is doomed, it is gone, because Donald Trump won the election and because he's going to have the chance to appoint two Supreme Court justices," Toobin said.
Baldwin was speechless following Toobin's prediction, citing the "gravity" of what he said.
After the successful appointment of one Trump nomination to the Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch, many anticipate a bitter battle in the Senate regarding whoever Trump may nominate to succeed Kennedy. MSNBC host Chris Matthews said, "Democrats should allow even meetings to occur with Trump's nominee to fill this vacancy by Justice Kennedy."