US President Barack Obama has started preliminary discussions with administration officials about naming a Supreme Court justice nominee following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the White House has said.
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Obama says those who say he should leave the nomination to the next president are reading something into the Constitution that just isn’t there. However, dragging out the confirmation (or lack thereof) of Obama’s candidate for the court keeps these issues on the front page into fall, after the Republican nominee has been chosen. The president has the right and prerogative to nominate a successor to Justice Scalia, just as the Senate has the right and prerogative to confirm or not confirm the President’s nominee.
As for Republican Senators in tough races, they must weigh the impact of energizing their base by standing up to the President against the potential damage of being labeled an obstructionist.
Heck drew of flood of criticism from Nevada Democrats when his campaign released a statement that they said was not clear on whether a new justice should be selected before Obama leaves office.
Scalia died over the weekend while on a hunting trip in Texas. “When there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the president of the United States is to nominate someone”.
“Both sides have a job to do, so I think the political posturing right now is somewhat unfortunate”, Cadman said.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters in Las Vegas Tuesday, “I’m very glad we’ve had a few renegade Republicans break from the pack and say there should be action taken” on a nominee. Now, some Republicans appear to be considering a more measured approach: Allow Obama to make a nomination, then reject the nominee (whoever he or she is).
But Senate Democrats countered that Obama is president until January 20, 2017 and has every constitutional right to make the selection.
Powell said he agreed with Scalia on issues such as judicial self-restraint, a concept that holds elected bodies rather than the judicial branch should craft public policy.
The pace of judicial confirmation always slows in a presidential election year, as the party that does not control the White House holds out hope that its candidate will fill vacant judgeships rather than give lifetime tenure to the other party’s choices.
In the hours after Scalia’s death was reported, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans insisted the new justice shouldn’t be chosen by Obama because there is a presidential election in November.
So it would be perfectly fine for 51 senators to announce that they were highly unlikely to vote for anyone the president was likely to nominate-so long as they went through the motions of holding hearings and, maybe, a vote. “Now, this would be a good moment for us to rise above that”.
That scenario is unlikely, but that’s not Obama’s only path to appointing a new Justice. In Pennsylvania, three Democrats looking to take on Toomey railed against the partisanship over senatorial responsibility.
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“Ultimately, Democratic voters believe in the same things”, Obama said, adding, “I’m not unhappy that I’m not on the ballot”.
