Q. Is the refusal by Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, to consider nominees for the Supreme Court an impeachable offense?  A. No. Senators can be expelled or censured for serious ethical breaches, but this does not seem to fall into that category. Punishing senators for political acts is done in the more traditional way, which we call elections. And though he may be irritating Americans across the country with his determined stance to not even consider a nominee, Mr. McConnell, the majority leader, is pretty secure with the conservative Kentucky electorate.  In fact, his position will probably shore up his standing on the right, where he had previously been vulnerable. A really bad backlash could cost him in another way, however. The positions of majority and minority leaders are filled through an internal party vote of senators. If Mr. McConnell’s strategy blows up on Republicans and, say, costs them the Senate majority and the White House, there could conceivably be a move to oust him from the leadership role. That seems unlikely, though.  Q. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, does Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, have real clout? Or are the Republicans on the committee controlled by Mr. McConnell?  A. Mr. Grassley, a longtime senator who sees himself as an independent operator capable of working with Democrats, has been uneasy with this situation. He does have control over the Judiciary Committee, but only in consultation with Mr. McConnell and his fellow Republicans. No senior committee chairman is going to head off in a direction contrary to the views of his party colleagues, because they ultimately determine who the head of the committee will be.  Even if Mr. Grassley decided to schedule committee hearings and voted to send a nominee to the Senate floor, Mr. McConnell would determine what happened from there. Democrats have tried to line up a stronger opponent to Mr. Grassley, who is seeking re-election. They have failed so far, but there seems to be new Democratic interest, given his role in the tussle. The deadline for filing as a Senate candidate is March 18.  There has been plenty of talk about cornering him another way — with the nomination of Jane L. Kelly, a highly regarded former public defender in Iowa who now serves on a federal appeals court and who had Mr. Grassley’s backing for that post.
Can Sandra Day O’Connor be renominated? Can Mitch McConnell be impeached? In our insiders’ guide, Times reporters offer answers.