If there is no replacement for Scalia it greatly weakens the authority of the entire U.S. government and temporarily transfers this power directly back to the Individual states. So, if a supreme court nominee is put in place in the supreme court it will avoid States battling with the Federal government. So, the longer time it takes for the Federal government to put in a new Supreme court member the more likely states will consider secession and going their own way legally speaking as individual countries. So, by preventing a supreme court nominee being considered Republicans only increase the dysfunctionality of the Federal government exponentially the longer this takes.
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Obama: 'It will be difficult' for McConnell to explain decision to block Supreme Court nominee
| CNN | - |
(CNN)
President Barack Obama said Wednesday it would be "difficult" for
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to explain his decision not to
consider a Supreme Court nominee without looking like he's motivated by
politics.
Obama: 'It will be difficult' for McConnell to explain decision to block Supreme Court nominee
Story highlights
- "Our job is to fulfill our constitutional duties," Obama said in the Oval Office
- Obama said none of the country's founding fathers believed a president should stop doing his job in his final year in office
(CNN)President
Barack Obama said Wednesday it would be "difficult" for Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell to explain his decision not to consider a
Supreme Court nominee without looking like he's motivated by politics.
"I
recognize the politics are hard for them because the easier thing to do
is to give in to the most extreme voices within their party and stand
pat and do nothing. But that's not our job. Our job is to fulfill our
constitutional duties," Obama said in the Oval Office, noting he felt
sympathy for Republicans under pressure to block his judicial
appointment.
He
said none of the country's founding fathers believed a president should
stop doing his job in his final year in office. And he argued that
Republicans risked damaging the ability of any president to appoint
judges if they proceed with blocking his Supreme Court pick.
"If,
in fact, the Republicans in the Senate take a posture that defies the
Constitution, defies logic, is not supported by tradition simply because
of politics, then invariably what you're going to see is a further
deterioration in the ability of any president to make any judicial
appointments," Obama said.
"Appointments
to the Supreme Court as well as the federal bench suddenly become a
complete extension of our polarized politics," he added.
In
a blog post early Wednesday, Obama reiterated again the broad outlines
of what he's looking for in a candidate to replace the late justice
Antonin Scalia, despite hardening resistance among Senate Republicans
toward considering his eventual Supreme Court nominee.
Writing on the SCOTUSBlog website,
Obama repeated his desire for a candidate who could bring life
experience to the bench, along with an unassailable job history.
"A
sterling record. A deep respect for the judiciary's role. An
understanding of the way the world really works. That's what I'm
considering as I fulfill my constitutional duty to appoint a judge to
our highest court," Obama wrote. "And as senators prepare to fulfill
their constitutional responsibility to consider the person I appoint, I
hope they'll move quickly to debate and then confirm this nominee so
that the Court can continue to serve the American people at full
strength."
Obama's entreaty to
lawmakers came a day after Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee
vowed in a letter to forgo hearings on the White House's selection, a
move unprecedented in Supreme Court nomination history. Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell showed little sign he would retreat from his
position that Obama's successor should select Scalia's replacement on
the high court.
"I don't know how many
times we need to keep saying this: The Judiciary Committee has
unanimously recommended to me that there be no hearing. I've said
repeatedly and I'm now confident that my conference agrees that this
decision ought to be made by the next president, whoever is elected,"
McConnell said Tuesday, adding later he was unlikely to even meet with
Obama's nominee.
The chairman of the
Judiciary panel, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, spoke with Obama about
the selection process last week, but has so far declined invitations to
meet with Obama in person, a White House official said late Tuesday.
In
his post, Obama revealed little about his process in selecting a
nominee, and repeated the broad criteria for a candidate that he cited
during his past two Supreme Court nomination opportunities.
"Needless
to say, this isn't something I take lightly," Obama wrote. "It's a
decision to which I devote considerable time, deep reflection, careful
deliberation, and serious consultation with legal experts, members of
both political parties, and people across the political spectrum."
Obama's
aides said he spent last weekend delving into detailed packets about
potential candidates. He was seen carrying a large black binder, divided
into nine sections, as he returned to his residence Friday evening.
In
his post, Obama made no indication of what ideology he was seeking in a
Supreme Court nominee, and the White House insists he remains open to a
spectrum of candidates.
But in recent
days his allies have suggested Obama select a moderate who has gained
support in the past from Republicans, even as it appears increasingly
unlikely that any nominee will gain traction among GOP lawmakers.
Vice
President Joe Biden suggested in interviews last week Obama pick a
"consensus candidate" and not the most "liberal jurist" he could muster.
Without naming specific judges, he said there were plenty of names on
the federal bench who had enjoyed broad support from Republicans during
their confirmation processes.
Many of
those names currently serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.
Circuit, one of the nation's most important panels since it hears
challenges to certain federal agencies.
While
the court is sometimes regarded as a stepping-stone for judges to
eventually serve on the Supreme Court, a former top adviser to Obama
suggested Tuesday the President may avoid picking a name from that lower
panel.
"Because those cases are
critical cases and there are several of them before them right now, I
think he'll look elsewhere for a nominee," David Axelrod, now a CNN
senior political commentator, said on "The Situation Room."
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