Of course, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell will not be meeting with Garland, since the Republicans refuse to consider a nominee until after the presidential election.
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“I would argue given the president’s track record, we have a responsibility not to confirm”, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said in an emailed statement, arguing that for the past seven years Obama “found every possible way to abuse his executive authority”. The nomination of the 63-year-old chief judge of U.S. Court of Appeals in District of Columbia proves to be the start of a potential political dispute with the senate Republicans.
Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, said he is still reviewing Garland’s credentials, and urged the Senate to begin the confirmation process. “The people decided in the democracy when they elected us”. Obama added that he’s confident in his nomination for Garland as he sees Garland to be eminently qualified for the position in Supreme Court Justice. “The White House has requested that I meet with him, and I look forward to doing so, as has been my practice with all Supreme Court nominees”.
Several Republican leaders have announced they will not support any nominee until after the 2016 Presidential election. Judge Garland, who has been on the appeals court for 19 years with three as chief judge, has a reputation as a moderate who is tough on criminal justice. According to multiple newspaper stories, Garland was a finalist for the two Supreme Court vacancies that Obama eventually filled with Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
He noted that a handful of Republican senators have said they would at least meet with Garland after they “saw how stellar the nominee is”. “This is about a principle of letting people have a voice”, Grassley said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Garland would replace the conservative bulwark Antonin Scalia, tipping a delicate balance on the court that could affect decisions on abortion, the death penalty and voting rights. Judge Garland is a widely respected public servant who has proven his loyalty to his country and the law throughout his impressive career.
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Grassley, now the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, finally relented and allowed a vote on the nomination, which racked up 32 Republican votes.
