President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he hoped “cooler heads will prevail” and that the Republican-led Senate will act on his US Supreme Court nominee but top Republicans dug in their heels, defending their refusal to consider anyone Obama picks.Obama has narrowed to five his list of candidates to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13.
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New York’s attorney general has joined 20 colleagues from around the country in urging the U.S. Senate not to delay acting on the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), center, flanked by the committee’s ranking member Sen. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid delivered his latest attack on Grassley, saying on the Senate floor that it was “a little unusual, a little odd” that Grassley would not hold hearings even for Kelly, considering his past support.
More than half of those surveyed were more concerned about a liberal judicial appointment than leaving the Supreme Court seat open for a year or longer.
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, has also said he believes Obama’s nominee, whoever it might be, deserves a confirmation hearing and vote before the Senate.
“I think we need to be crystal clear, it won’t work”, Grassley said.
Among Democrats polled in the survey, 79 percent agree with their party’s leadership in holding hearings for a nominee, while 49 percent of Republicans agree with their party’s leadership blockade strategy. Senate Republicans have promised to ignore the nominee.
Other likely candidates cited by people familiar with the process include Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Merrick Garland, chief judge of the same appeals court; Paul Watford of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and Ketanji Brown Jackson, a district court judge in the District of Columbia. It will be harder for Republicans to hold their ground in the face of a “real, flesh-and-blood nominee”, Sen.
The poll “shows that the American people recognize the vital importance of finding a replacement for Justice Scalia who will adhere to the Constitution and the rule of law”, Hans von Spakovsky, manager of The Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow at the think tank, told The Daily Signal. Lindsey Graham of SC, a former GOP presidential contender, said the fight is a product of Democratic efforts to block Republican nominees.
“We are setting a precedent here”, Graham said.
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In the letter, the attorneys general said states and territories rely on the Supreme Court to resolve disputes “that implicate States’ vital interests”, often times in closely-decided cases.
