Republican will filibuster next Supreme Court nominee if they stand up ‘for the little guy’

A top Republican in the Senate is planning a strategy of opposing President Barack Obama's potential nominee should there be a vacancy on the Supreme Court in the future.

Jon Kyl (R-Az) told Fox News' Chris Wallace that Republicans are prepared to fight a nominee who might stick up for the little guy, a position he called "overly ideological."

Kyl had condemned the use of the filibuster when Republicans were in the majority. "It's never been the case until the last two years that a minority could dictate to the majority what they could do," Kyl said in 2005.

Republicans are within their rights to to use the filibuster to block a judicial nominee, according to Senator Kyl.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa) thinks there's a better chance for consensus next year and worries that a nomination fight this year would mean gridlock in the partisan Senate.

"I think we need someone who will step into Justice Stevens' shoes, who will be very tough on the issues of executive power," Specter said. "A federal court this past week declared the warrantless wiretapping unconstitutional. I think we need the kind of balance that Justice Stevens has provided to offset the majority on the court which is in favor of executive power."

"I am a little troubled by what Arlen said," Kyl responded. "Don't have somebody coming in with preconceived attitudes. I'm going to be tough on the executives or I'm going to be for the little guy, we've had too much of that."