Obama announced Wednesday that he was nominating Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C. Circuit.
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The real question, to be answered definitively only if Garland wins Senate confirmation, is how far to the left would the court shift if a new liberal majority were in place.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday, the Kentucky Republican stuck by his stance that Obama’s successor ought to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
Republicans are united behind the idea that Judge Merrick Garland should not be confirmed this year, given President Obama’s lame duck status and the fact that Garland would give liberals a clear majority on the Supreme Court.
On FOX News Sunday this week, columnist George Will called on Republicans to at least consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court. One is to demonstrate to the Republican base something that they now very much doubt which is there is some reason to want the Republicans to control the Senate.
Sen. McConnell also reasoned that the citizens of the USA should have a say in the nomination by participating in the upcoming presidential election.
“The strategy is a political strategy, and it made enormous sense for Leader McConnell to do before the announcement because it forced the White House to come to the table and put on the table the best qualified person that is the most attractive to the Republican Party”, he said.
“What we’d like to see”, McDonough said, is Garland confirmed through “regular order” in the Senate.
Soon after the nomination of Garland, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that refusing to vote on the nominee until after the election would allow the voice of “the people” to be heard.
Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, on Sunday predicted Garland would prevail. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously two years later that those appointments were unconstitutional. “But his Republican senators are not going to go over that cliff with him”.
This was something that Mitch McConnell had a field day with late last week on the floor of the Senate. Garland should be given a fair hearing and then an up-or-down vote.
Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rob Portman of OH – who both face tough re-election contests this fall – as well as Susan Collins (Maine), James Inhofe (Okla.) and Orrin Hatch (Utah) have expressed an openness to meeting with Garland. Bernie Sanders support the Garland nomination. Nevertheless, the Committee at the insistence of President Reagan and Judge Bork sent the nomination to the Senate floor for an up or down vote.
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“Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution states, “[The president] shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint… judges of the Supreme Court”. But the American people do not agree with this obstruction.
