Post by bot on Mar 19, 2016 18:32:31 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on President Obama's Nomination of Judge Merrick Garland
to the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today in response to President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court:
“Judge Merrick Garland is an outstanding choice to serve on the Supreme Court. Having previously been confirmed by a Republican-led Senate with more than three-quarters of the vote, Judge Garland has a reputation for excellence in jurisprudence and a sharp legal mind. He is one of our nation’s best appellate judges with more federal judicial experience than anyone ever nominated to the Supreme Court, and he has won praise from Chief Justice Roberts and leaders on both sides of the aisle.
“When the framers drafted the Constitution, they envisioned that leaders of goodwill and patriotism would forge consensus. Nowhere is this vision more clearly spelled out than in Article II, which provides that the president ‘shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint … judges of the Supreme Court.’ Should Senate Republicans refuse even to meet with Judge Garland and fulfill their duty to advise the President, they will have failed in their constitutional responsibilities. They will also have proven what so many Americans have suspected since 2009: that among a number of Republican lawmakers, no action taken by the current president, even one as fundamental to our democracy as nominating a highly qualified candidate to serve on the Supreme Court, is legitimate, and every action he takes ought to be subjected to a form of raw partisanship without parallel in our history.
“Judge Garland’s nomination demands swift consideration by the Senate to fill the current vacancy that prevents the Court from operating at full strength while considering many important cases. I urge Senate Republicans to meet with him and give him the full consideration he is due so that he can be confirmed without delay.”