Sparked by some
comments from President Obama ("we're going to have Supreme Court appointments"), the National Law Journal presents an interesting
article regarding what could happen if a Supreme Court vacancy appears after the midterms and before the 2016 elections.
It is claimed by conservative strategist Carrie Severino that replacing Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would be easier than filling a vacancy caused by the retirement or passing of one of the other eight justices, because filling an empty spot left by Ginsburg "would be seen as trading her in for a younger justice Ginsburg." Liberals, on the other hand, are supposedly doubtful of that argument, but it seems that both sides agreed that a replacement for Ginsburg would be a woman:
Apparently, there is also suspicion that a vacancy in the year 2016 would likely remain unfilled until after the November elections: