Blog Post

It’s been 33 Days Since Judge Garland Was Nominated…

In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan — and confirmed 33 days later.  Let’s compare that benchmark to where we are 33 days after Judge Merrick Garland was nominated to the Court by President Obama.

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley continue to refuse to #DoYourJob and schedule hearings on the nomination of Judge Garland to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

• Seventeen Republican Senators have met or agreed to meet with Judge Garland

• Countless attorneys, academics, and luminaries of the legal profession have weighed in, in favor of following traditional Senate practice of scheduling hearings and a confirmation vote.  Last week, fifteen former presidents of the American Bar Association sent a letter to the U.S. Senate arguing that the Republicans’ obstruction of Judge Garland’s nomination injects politics in the courts in a way that “materially hampers the effective operation of the judiciary.” Also last week, Kenneth Starr reiterated his view that Judge Garland deserves hearings and a vote as a matter of “good government.”

• The Supreme Court Committee of the National Association of Women Lawyers performed an extensive review of Judge Garland’s record, including review of opinions and articles and interviews, and found the nominee to be well-qualified to be an Associate Justice.

• Yet another national poll indicated that a majority of Americans believes that the Senate should hold hearings and a vote on the nomination

 
And still we wait for the Senate Republicans to #DoYourJob and hold hearings and a vote on Judge Garland’s nomination.