I would suspect that, if the process drags on past the election, and Trump gets voted out, the kind of thinking Stilly River Sage indicates might get a few more Republican senators to think twice about going ahead with confirming Trump's nominee during the lame duck weeks.

The complicating factor is that if, as seems likely, Trump kicks up a ruckus about the validity of a vote that goes against him, and it gets pushed up for the Supreme Court to determine things, there's a good chance of a four four split with an eight member court.

Is it possible some of the judges might actually decide to act as judges rather than as political placemen in that situation?