The Constitution is in no way ambiguous on this matter. The winner of the 2012 Presidential election has the right to fill all vacancies on the Supreme Court that occur between January 20, 2013 and January 20, 2017. End of story.
He should.
Policy differences aside, but I think what some GOP officials (and I say officials, not the entire party) is doing is a disgrace. What Mitch McConnell said is not only disrespectful to the president, but also the constitution. It clearly states that the president has to power to nominate a justice, and the senate should vote on him/her after a fair hearing. There is no provision that states “except the last year of a presidency”. What’s then next? Saying a president shouldn’t veto a bill in his last year? Mitch says, the people should have the chance to vote on it. What is with the 65 million people that voted for Obama in the last election? They voted for a president to serve four years, not three.
What I think is the true disgrace is not that the GOP has reservations with a liberal justice (btw: Scalia and others were confirmed by an anonymous vote or close to that), but that Mitch and others just want to deny that right to Obama. He could have said: “Let’s find a justice of the political center. None who is an outspoken liberal or an outspoken conservative. Someone respected by at least a majority in both parties”). I think it’s so sad that there is such a level of hatred for this president.
Well said.
There is absolutely no reason not to. I seriously doubt Republicans can hold back a Supreme Court nomination for a whole year.
I think they will. Sadly.
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