WASHINGTON -- The fight over the next Supreme Court justice is now centering on a paper trail, as Democratic senators demand more documents. Republicans accuse them of trying to delay the vote.

During a Thursday morning press conference, Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina likened the document request to “more of a stall tactic than anything else.”

Tillis said the Republicans are already drawing on an historic number of documents to evaluate Brett Kavanaugh, the president’s choice for the nation’s top bench.

However, Democrats say that is not enough. They want access to files from Kavanaugh’s time working as staff secretary for then-President George W. Bush.

They argue those documents are critical to understanding Kavanaugh’s career in public service, including any involvement he may have had in torture or wiretapping.

“It's about the Constitutional duty of the United States Senate to advise and consent on one of the most important issues that ever comes before us,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY.

Republicans want to have Kavanaugh confirmed before the midterm elections. So long as they stick together, they have enough votes to put him on the bench without any Democrat help. But there’s little wiggle room.

A possible delay at the National Archives is complicating the timeline. An archives official wrote to Senate leaders Thursday, indicating they will not be able to produce all the requested Kavnaugh documents until “the end of October” – months later than the desired mid-August deadline.

While Democrats said this was a reason to slow down the confirmation process, top Republicans are still forging ahead.

“I’m sure there will be more boots on the ground, more people put in place to produce them on a timely basis,” said Sen. John Cornyn. “I think it’s really important we get the judge confirmed before the Supreme Court meets again first Monday in October.”

That means Kavanaugh will still likely see a confirmation hearing next month.