The death of Antonin Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court’s most conservative justice, has moved the court to the left, an Arizona law professor said Monday.
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Obama spoke as he closed a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders at Sunnylands, a Southern California desert retreat.
On the question of whether a moderate nominee would be amenable to Senate Republicans, Obama stressed that he will “present somebody who indisputably is qualified for the seat”, declining to specify a timeframe for his decision. No matter who I nominate.
Asked whether he thought the controversy over filling the court vacancy might endanger his re-election chances this fall, Mr. Grassley said, “I think I have a responsibility to perform, and I can’t worry about the election”. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that the vacancy “should not be filled until we have a new president”. If there’s virtually no chance of Republicans bending, Obama might pick a more liberal nominee who galvanizes Democratic support and fires up interest groups in the election year. Article II, Section 2 says the president “shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate”, to appoint “judges of the Supreme Court”. “And this will be the opportunity for senators to do their job”, said Obama.
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that while he understands Republicans’ dismay at the thought of him nominating another Supreme Court justice before he leaves office in January, the U.S. Constitution states very clearly that he should do so. For instance, in OH, first-term Republican Senator Rob Portman said confirming a presidential nominee should wait until after the presidential election.
But in his interview with the Journal Sentinel, Ryan acknowledged that “there could arise a situation where it’s more than just a ceremonial position”. “I expect them to do their job as well”.
“I would wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decision”, Mr. Grassley said Tuesday in a conference call with Iowa radio reporters.
Traditionally, the other justices stand on the steps of the high court as a casket is carried into the Great Hall.
In Washington, Scalia’s chair in the court’s ornate chamber was draped with black wool crepe in accordance with court tradition following a justice’s death. And the Democrats posted a 2008 video of Grassley saying then, “the reality is that the Senate has never stopped confirming judicial nominees during the last few months of a president’s term”.
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Obama said it’s unfair to compare his attempt to deny a vote on Justice Alito, who pro-life groups applauded for upholding the ban on partial-birth abortions, with what Senate Republicans are pledging to do.
