Obama said Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is the “right man for the job”. That court has influence over federal policy and national security matters, which makes it a testing ground for serving on the high Court. UW professor Ryan Owens expects Garland, described by many as a judicial centrist, would receive bipartisan support under normal circumstances.
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The vacancy emerged when Justice Antonin Scalia, a hardline conservative who unwaveringly opposed LGBT rights decisions, passed away earlier this year. “Judge Garland. should be afforded that same constitutional set of responsibilities”. It is also true that it might be hard to rush through a Supreme Court nomination in the final days of a Senate’s session.
Garland called the release of former Justice Harry Blackmun’s papers on Roe as a “great gift to the country” , as reported by the New York Times. “He is a non-partisan judge”, Schauld said. He says they need to set aside their personal views and preferences. Democrats continued to push Thursday for the Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on Garland’s nomination and for GOP Senate leaders to hold a confirmation vote by Memorial Day. I would like even more to hear what types of questions the Senators ask him?
More cracks are appearing in the Republican Party’s opposition to considering President Obama’s nominee for the empty seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. As a federal prosecutor, he made his reputation overseeing the investigation and prosecutions in the Oklahoma City bombing case in 1995, as well as the case against Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
However, at least 6 Republican senators are open to meeting with Garland, that includes Utah Senator Orrin Hatch who once praised Garland, but Hatch is now clarifying his endorsement. From here, Garland’s chances of being the next justice fall to the Senate’s discretion. Garland was scheduled to begin the customary meetings with senators that typically kick off the confirmation process.
But within moments of the announcement, Senate Republicans were quick to point out that this time around, Garland’s nominee process is going nowhere.
Does anyone really believe McConnell would be blocking any Supreme Court nomination if it were sent to the Senate by an outgoing white Republican president?
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The Senate, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have refused to consider any of the president’s nominees, insisting the duty to nominate falls on the next president.
