Some legal analysts say Obama could nominate one of two judges who have in recent years already have won unanimous Senate approval for their current seats, Sri Srinivasan, who would become the Supreme Court’s first Indian-American, and Jane Kelly, both of whom now are appellate court judges. “What shouldn’t happen in a election year, a president in a very divisive kind of time, should [not] nominate someone and have it be passed”, Bush replied.
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Schultz said that Obama administration officials had been discussing the process with Senate offices, something that would turn out to be an epic fight between Republicans and Democrats in a presidential election year.
When Scalia died, Obama had 342 days left in office.
Justice Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death Saturday comes at a time when the Supreme Court is more consequential than ever. President Ronald Reagan appointed him and the U.S. Senate confirmed him in 1986, giving Scalia 30 influential years on the bench.
They are debating whether the president’s main goal would be to win approval for the nominee, someone at least a few Republican lawmakers might vote for.
“More than any other appointment upon which the Senate is called to pass judgment, nominees to the Supreme Court warrant in-depth consideration given the importance of their constitutional role and their lifetime tenure”, she said in a statement reported by Politico.
Colorado’s senators stayed within party lines when asked their take on how to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia following his death on Saturday.
He accused Senate Republicans of “bluster” for saying they would not confirm his pick.
The Republican-controlled Senate blocking Obama’s nomination “may not be popular in some of the more moderate states, where the Republican candidates aren’t that secure, especially in the Senate”, Baum said.
The political implications of the Republicans blocking Obama’s nominee are unclear, although such an action could decrease the GOP’s popularity in the upcoming Senate elections in November, according to Matthew A. Baum, professor of global communications at the Kennedy School.
Such hyperbole ignores a basic truth: Cruz and his Senate colleagues can vote against any nominee Obama brings forth.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said the vacancy shouldn’t be filled until voters choose a new USA president.
Republicans shrugged off the criticism, pointing to past political battles over Supreme Court nominees.
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“In that period, there were several nominations and confirmations of Justices during presidential election years”, Howe wrote.
