“Some Democrats engaged in a process of throwing sand in the gears of the confirmation process”, Josh Earnest said of that 2005 effort to block Justice Alito’s nomination.
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There were times in the history of the court when the court had an even number of justices.
To minimise the risk of unexpected drama, US Presidents – and candidates to be President – have to make their health records public. The people spoke in 2012 when a majority of American voters, along with an electoral landslide, put President Obama in office for a second term.
In that same vein, Republicans like Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley rushed out only hours after news of Justice Scalia’s passing to falsely claim that “over the last 80 years to not confirm Supreme Court nominees during a presidential election year”. Guevara said she spoke with law enforcement officials who said there was no foul play at the scene. I recognize the politics are hard for them, because the easier thing to do is to give in to the most extreme voices within their party and stand pat and do nothing. Seated, from left are, Justice Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Anthony Kennedy, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Obama will nominate a highly qualified replacement for Scalia, one who will see the Constitution as a living document, not one frozen in time, as seen by Scalia.
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Although some pundits pine for imagined halcyon days when nominees were measured only by judicial fitness, presidents have always been irked by what they regard as obstructionist justices. They’re pretty sheepish about it when they make those comments. But I’m going to do my job. The lawmakers said they did not intend to even meet with the nominee, let alone hold a public hearing on his or her qualifications. It’s not as if, from what I see, the Senate calendar is so full that we don’t have time to get this done.
