Patrick Leahy

Leahy, 81, is the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate.

Efforts to pass other federal voting rights legislation have stalled in the closely divided Senate, as Democrats try to counter voting restrictions enacted in Republican-led states.

Chief Justice John Roberts will not take on the role for the trial that begins the week of Feb. 8, a source says. A chief justice presides only when a sitting president is on trial.

The Vermont Democrat said a vote before Election Day would break with the position Republicans embraced in 2016 when they refused to consider the nomination of Obama nominee Merrick Garland.

Sen. Cory Booker was the first Democrat to release documents that had been designated as "confidential" as the third day of the Judge Kavanaugh confirmation hearings began.

Democrats say firing FBI Director James Comey raises serious questions. They say a special prosecutor should take over the ongoing investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

Republicans remain steadfast in their refusal to consider any nominee to the Supreme Court during an election year. President Obama told NPR that argument is "puzzling."