That court has influence over federal policy and national security matters, which makes it a testing ground for serving on the high Court.
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Judge garland is touted as having more federal judicial experience than any nominee in history, serving almost two decades on the bench. He says Garland is not a predictable vote on the court, which doesn’t please conservatives or liberals. It is also true that it might be hard to rush through a Supreme Court nomination in the final days of a Senate’s session.
Thankfully, leaders like Arizona’s own John McCain and Jeff Flake have committed to let the American people decide who should replace Scalia. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, said he would block Garland’s nomination despite saying “I don’t know anything about Judge Garland’s qualifications”. Is the Senate abdicating its constitutional responsibility?
In addition, the president says if the confirmation process becomes an extension of the presidential race, that would go against America’s best traditions. But GOP lawmakers are also talking to reporters about the possibility of confirming Garland later this year, should Hillary Clinton win the election. Sen.
On Wednesday, Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the vacant seat.
The president said Merrick is a hard-working public servant; he highlighted his work leading the investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing. Even so, with what’s happening in Washington, Garland may not make it. At 63, Garland would be one of the most experienced justices on the Supreme Court. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Mr. Obama that Judge Garland would be a “terrific” Supreme Court nominee and predicted that he would be confirmed “virtually unanimously”. But Garland is no flaming liberal.
Garland was scheduled to venture to Capitol Hill to begin the customary meetings with senators that typically kick off the confirmation process. Once Republicans have been defeated, Republicans will try to cave and confirm Merrick Garland nomination to the Supreme Court. The Republicans have the power to deny President Obama this incredibly important opportunity, and they are using that power.
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Speaking Tuesday on the floor of the Senate, Charles Grassley the Judiciary Committee Chair and a Republican from Iowa said the next justice on the Supreme Court could change dramatically the court’s direction and the people of the US deserve to weigh in prior to that happening.
