On March 16, 2016, US President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Garland was called by President Obama to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Scalia has been described as an originalist on the Supreme Court. This means that Justice Scalia interpreted the Constitution as having a fixed meaning, rather than one that changes over time. This placed Justice Scalia as one of the more conservative members of the Supreme Court. President Obama’s nominee is seen by many as extremely liberal, shifting the Court’s balance to a much more liberal stance.
Merrick Garland is an American federal judge who currently serves as the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He graduated valedictorian from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He then served as a law clerk for Judge Henry Friendly in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice William Brennan, Jr., of the Supreme Court. He then went on to practice corporate litigation at the international law firm Arnold & Porter and as US Attorney in the United States Department of Justice. He was the leading investigator and prosecutor of the Oklahoma City bomber case.
Merrick Garland had been considered twice for the Supreme Court, in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, Justice David Souter announced that he would retire, and Judge Garland was placed as one of the nine finalists for the Supreme Court nomination, but the post was given to Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the Second Circuit. In 2010, Justice John Stevens announced that he would retire, and Garland was once again placed as a finalist for the nomination. The position ultimately went to Elena Kagen who served as the Solicitor General of the United States. Merrick Garland is now nominated by President Obama as a liberal candidate to the Supreme Court.
According to Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, the President is given the right to appoint justices of the Supreme Court with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Republican Senators of the Republican-dominated Senate responded by saying that they would not even consider Judge Garland as a choice. Considering this is President Obama’s lame duck year, the Republican Senators stated that it is not right for the President to decide, that such a responsibility should be left for the next President of the United States. Multiple politicians replied to the Republican refusal to consider Judge Garland by stating that Judge Garland is a highly experienced federal judge who has achieved bipartisan support in the past. This means that Judge Garland is supported by both the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party. Other members of Congress stated that if the Republicans do not consider Judge Garland, it would mean that the Republicans are not upholding their constitutional duties. The question now is whether the Republicans will consider the highly qualified judge for the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court or refuse to due to purely political objectives.
Merrick Garland is an American federal judge who currently serves as the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He graduated valedictorian from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He then served as a law clerk for Judge Henry Friendly in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice William Brennan, Jr., of the Supreme Court. He then went on to practice corporate litigation at the international law firm Arnold & Porter and as US Attorney in the United States Department of Justice. He was the leading investigator and prosecutor of the Oklahoma City bomber case.
Merrick Garland had been considered twice for the Supreme Court, in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, Justice David Souter announced that he would retire, and Judge Garland was placed as one of the nine finalists for the Supreme Court nomination, but the post was given to Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the Second Circuit. In 2010, Justice John Stevens announced that he would retire, and Garland was once again placed as a finalist for the nomination. The position ultimately went to Elena Kagen who served as the Solicitor General of the United States. Merrick Garland is now nominated by President Obama as a liberal candidate to the Supreme Court.
According to Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, the President is given the right to appoint justices of the Supreme Court with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Republican Senators of the Republican-dominated Senate responded by saying that they would not even consider Judge Garland as a choice. Considering this is President Obama’s lame duck year, the Republican Senators stated that it is not right for the President to decide, that such a responsibility should be left for the next President of the United States. Multiple politicians replied to the Republican refusal to consider Judge Garland by stating that Judge Garland is a highly experienced federal judge who has achieved bipartisan support in the past. This means that Judge Garland is supported by both the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party. Other members of Congress stated that if the Republicans do not consider Judge Garland, it would mean that the Republicans are not upholding their constitutional duties. The question now is whether the Republicans will consider the highly qualified judge for the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court or refuse to due to purely political objectives.
Yeop Lee