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GOP Senate Leaders Tell Obama They Won't Consider His Supreme Court Pick

Wall Street Journal

- ‎2 hours ago‎

Trending on Google+:Republicans rebuff Obama in meeting on SCOTUS nominationThe Hill

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GOP Senate Leaders Tell Obama They Won’t Consider His Supreme Court Pick

President still intends to send a nomination to the Senate

Carol E. Lee and

Siobhan Hughes

Updated March 1, 2016 4:52 p.m. ET

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WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama and Republican leaders on Tuesday remained deadlocked after a face-to-face meeting over when to fill a Supreme Court opening, making it unlikely a nominee could be approved until at least after the election.
“Senator Grassley and I made it clear that we don’t intend to take up the nominee or to have a hearing. And it was a good opportunity to reiterate our view that this appointment should be made by the next president,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said after the meeting, referring to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “This vacancy will not be filled this year.”

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid expressed frustration that Senate Republican leaders are refusing to meet with any Supreme Court nominee from President Barack Obama, with the hope of keeping the seat open for a GOP president to fill next year. Photo: AP

The meeting was the first time since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month that Mr. Obama and Republican leaders have met in person to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. Mr. McConnell said about half the meeting was spent discussing the opening, with the balance covering other issues such as the narcotic painkillers epidemic, criminal justice issues and Puerto Rico’s financial problems.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Mr. Obama remains undeterred by Republican opposition and intends to send a nomination to the Senate.
“The president and his team will continue with the process that has been running here at the White House, now, for more than a week,” Mr. Earnest said. “And the president will continue to do that work, with the goal of eventually putting forward a nomination.”
Mr. Earnest said Mr. Obama offered for Republicans to put forward potential candidates for him to consider. “The president didn’t guarantee that he would choose that person, but the president did indicate that he would take seriously any recommendations that either Democrats or Republicans had to put forward,” Mr. Earnest said.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), who also attended the meeting, said Messrs. McConnell and Grassley also declined Mr. Obama’s offer to review a list of potential nominees in advance of an announcement.

“The president made that very clear he’s willing to talk to them about names for nominations that they think would be good,” Mr. Reid said.
Republicans have pointed to a 1992 speech by current Vice President Joe Biden, then Judiciary Committee chairman, in which he said President George H.W. Bush should consider not naming a replacement during the election year if a Supreme Court justice were to resign.
On Tuesday, Mr. Biden defended the position he took then and said his words have since been taken out of context, according to Mr. Reid.
Mr. Biden and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, also attended the meeting.
Write to Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com and Siobhan Hughes at siobhan.hughes@wsj.com

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Tuesday, March 1, 2016