Duckworth, Durbin: Supreme Court Pick Could Harm Abortion Rights

SPRINGFIELD, IL — United States Senate Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin spent their weekend warning the public about the impact President Donald Trump's next Supreme Court nominee could have on abortion rights and immigration. Both Durbin and Duckworth have been openly critical when it comes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but haven't joined other Democrats in calling for the agency to be abolished.

While attending the border separations protest in Chicago Saturday, Sen. Dick Durbin called ICE a "group of incompetence at this point" that's more focused on "toddlers than terrorists," while speaking to CNN.

Durbin also appeared on "Fox News Sunday" from Springfield, telling Chris Wallace, “The president is looking for someone who will overturn Roe v. Wade," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

During her first Sunday live show appearance, Duckworth told CNN's "State of the Union" host Jake Tappershe isn't calling for abolishing ICE yet. ""I think there's a lot of other things we can do before we get to that point," she said. "You've got somebody in the White House who has these policies which are horrendous, which he still hasn't fixed. Families are still separated. Children are still in cages. Nursing babies are still separated from their moms."

Duckworth recently gave birth to her second child, and also told Tapper she would not have been able to have both her children without in vitro fertilization — which she said could be impacted if the the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Patch reported in April that Duckworth was the first sitting U.S. Senator to give birth.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court who often served as a moderate swing vote in numerous 5-4 decisions, announced his retirement Wednesday, which will be effective July 31.

RELATED: Justice Anthony Kennedy Announces Retirement From Supreme Court

Patch reported just last week that Kennedy's departure will give President Trump an opportunity to drastically change the makeup of the court, which is what Duckworth and Durbin are insinuating, in what's expected to be a battle.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that his replacement process would "begin immediately." Trump pointed to his list of contenders to fill Scalia's seat when asked about potential candidates.

In a statement, the White House thanked Kennedy for his service on the bench.

Image: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) speaks during a news conference about resisting the Trump Administration's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity with at the U.S. Capitol July 11, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)