This week, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate is almost surely going to vote to acquit President Donald Trump, closing out his impeachment trial. The vote will down party lines or awfully close to it.

And the Iowa caucuses, off to a clumsy and problematic start though they may be, will kick into gear the race for the Democratic nomination to compete against Trump -- with opponents of the president trying to decide both whom they most adore and who stands a chance of general election victory.

But, Jim Gearhart says in his weekly Facebook Live show and podcast, the real battle isn't for the presidency. It's for a position with much more lasting power.

"It appears they're almost exhuming this poor lady to keep her on the court," Jim says of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who just weeks ago declared she's cancer-free, having survived yet another serious health scare.

Ginsburg's often viewed as the court's liberal lion (though justices bristle at any suggestion of partisanship). But Trump's already filled two seats on the Supreme Court. A third could have effects lasting a generation or more.

"If you have another conservative justice on the Supreme Court, the progressive game is over," Jim says.

The Jim Gearhart show is LIVE on Facebook every Thursday at 10:30 a.m., at Facebook.com/NJ1015. Got an idea for an upcoming installment of Jim's show? Meet Jim at Facebook.com/NJ1015 to suggest it in the comments, or email Jim@nj1015.com.

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The Jim Gearhart Show podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhonesAndroid devices or your computer:

That's just part of what Jim and Bob Williams take on in the latest installment of his show, also available as a podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest.

Love Podcasts? This week, on Speaking Podcast: the gang takes a look at the intersection between comedy and depression.

— New Jersey 101.5 staff. Includes prior reporting by Dan Alexander

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