Obama chides senators to ‘do their job,’ vote on court pick
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama answers questions during a news conference following the conclusion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders summit at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Tuesday.
WASHINGTON >> President Barack Obama is challenging Republicans to live up to their avowed adherence to the Constitution and agree to vote on his nominee to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. A key Republican is leaving the door open to taking the first step.
Despite widespread GOP insistence that he leave the decision to the next president, Obama said Tuesday he had no intention of abdicating his responsibilities before leaving office early next year. He chidingly told the Senate he expects “them to do their job as well.”
“The Constitution is pretty clear about what’s supposed to happen now,” Obama said before returning to Washington from California.
Fallout from Scalia’s unexpected death overshadowed Obama’s two days of summitry with Southeast Asian leaders. Obama pledged to nominate a candidate “indisputably” qualified, but Republican leaders have threatened to refuse to hold hearings or a vote on his pick to replace the conservative Scalia.
Yet there were hints that at least some Republicans might come around. Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would wait “until the nominee is made before I would make any decision” about holding hearings, boosting White House hopes for getting a third justice confirmed on Obama’s watch.
With the looming nomination creating ripples in the presidential campaign, Obama sought to broaden his argument by calling the dispute emblematic of years of escalating partisan hostilities over judicial nominations. He lamented a new normal in which “everything is blocked” even when there’s no ideological or substantive disagreement — and conceded that Democrats are not blameless
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“This would be a good moment for us to rise above it,” Obama said.
Court officials said Scalia’s body will lie in repose on Friday in the Supreme Court’s Great Hall, after a private ceremony. The funeral mass Saturday will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Since Scalia’s unexpected death at a Texas ranch over the weekend, White House lawyers and advisers have been scrambling to identify potential replacements, while also devising a strategy to get a nominee confirmed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he doesn’t think Obama should put a candidate forward. The Kentucky senator joined several Republicans up for re-election in declaring that Obama should let voters in November weigh in on the direction of the court through their vote for president.
Obama rejected that notion, insisting he will put forward a replacement and believes the Senate will have “plenty of time” to give the nominee a fair hearing and a vote. Democrats say Obama has every right and a constitutional duty to fill vacancies on the court until he leaves office next January.
The pace of judicial confirmations always slows in presidential election years, thanks to reluctance by the party out of power in the White House to give lifetime tenure to their opponents’ picks. In the past, lawmakers have sometimes informally agreed to halt hearings on lower court nominations during campaign season. But Obama argued that “the Supreme Court’s different.”
McConnell has shown no signs of shifting his opposition, and several lawmakers facing heated elections have backed him up. But the party may still be searching for a strategy.
The White House has been looking for cracks in the Republican opposition as it deliberates on a nominee, and Grassley’s remarks to home-state reporters offered the first signs of hope.
If Republicans indicate they may hold hearings, Obama would have greater reason to name a “consensus candidate,” a moderate nominee that Republicans would be hard-pressed to reject. If there’s virtually no chance of Republicans bending, Obama might pick a nominee who galvanizes Democratic support and fires up interest groups in the election year.
Obama would not tip his hand — much. He said he’d pick someone that would pass muster for honor and integrity even among ideological opponents.
He would not comment on whether he would consider appointing a candidate during a congressional recess, a last-ditch maneuver that would inflame partisanship in Congress.
If Senate Republicans hold fast to their vow not to confirm anyone Obama nominates, the Supreme Court will operate with eight justices — not just for the rest of this court term, but for most of the next one as well. High court terms begin in October, and the 80 or so cases argued in the course of a term typically are decided by early summer.
The court would be unable to issue rulings on any issue in which the justices split 4-4.
Associated Press writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report.
43 responses to “Obama chides senators to ‘do their job,’ vote on court pick”
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Just nominate someone first than you can call on them to do their job, or wait for them to recess.
I am sure the Senate will take up the nominee with the same care and consideration demonstrated by Joe Biden in the Bork nomination. It’s all politics regardless of which party is in power.
Not just Biden, but Schumer and even Obama himself attempted to block Supreme Court nominees during the Bush presidency. Such hypocrisy!
Obama was one of 25 Democrats to filibuster Bush’s nominee, Samuel Alito, a decade ago.
It’s great to see an informed American such as yourself! ^5
Palani, mahalo for your accurate post. Most of us (democrat, independent or republican) know that the Republican controlled Senate will only approve a nominee that has a similar ideology as Justice Scalia. In that case, any nominee from President Obama without that similar ideology will have a difficult time with the Senate, and will not get out of the Judicial Committee for any floor vote.
Well it will not be that long before we have a new president and I am sure that President Clinton or President Sanders would be more than willing to nominate ex President Obama as the next SC judge. With a democratic senate, the nomination should go through easy. Republicans are such idiots. Go ahead and fire up us democrats.
Got that right, there is only one script, two playbooks. One labeled “For” and one labeled “Against.” Whichever party is in power gets first pick on playbooks.
Yes, what comes around goes around, democrats did this before, now it’s the Republicans turn. Politics as usual…
True, now just wait for the outrage when the next Republican President exercises some of the same Executive Order abuses routinely practiced by Obama.
There will be no R President, and most pundits articulate that same view.
bool—I hate to think of it, but you are right. Too many of our citizens vote for a living and get all that free s–t which they don’t want to lose–they may have to go to work and that’s a four letter word!!!
Hopefully the republican party is in its last days. I suspect the Whigs will be resurrected. lol
lol Don’t stop getting your info from Brian Williams!!
Keoni, that is the funniest post I have read in a long time.
Can anyone Enlighten me? What is the relevance in telling the ASEAN Delegation how Bad The Republican Party is?? REALLY? It’s not like they can vote on a new Supreme Court Justice.Right? It’s a Family Affair…Our Family! The U.S.A.
This is the Norm,when he doesn’t get his way he goes Crying to the World!! Time to Man up & Stop Talking Bro. You’re causing even more divide! You have a Phone and a Pen ,just Nominate Someone already! Congress can either Confirm your Nomination or NOT.
“Did You Know moment”. Congress can take up to 120+ days to confirm?
Did you know? That the requirement to be A Supreme Court Justice? You don’t have to be a Judge? How crazy is that!
Ultimately.Any body can be considered to be a Supreme Court Justice… (See some of his past and present nominess)
Yep! Kinda sounds like the same requirement to be the President of the US.IMUA
Even a Community Organizer can be a POTUS!
You’re a mor0n. Obama was asked directly by a reporter about Scalia’s death and resulting vacancy on the Court.
Why wasn’t an autopsy done? Too many unanswered questions.
I think the family said no?
Time to unplug the tin foil hat.
There’s only an autopsy if there’s reasonable doubt as to the cause of death or if there is a request by the family. There isn’t automatically one because nutjobs like you can’t handle reality.
Reasonable people have reasonable doubt. Name callers unite.
I just love republicans. They complain about welfare cheats constantly and how the government needs to crack down on them. Then they end up being the biggest welfare recipients in Washington. Hay republicans why don’t you consider working for a change? Get off your butts and actually do some work! Tired of the house republicans only working 111 days this year while the senate thinks they don’t need to advise the president on nominees. What worthless bums the republicans have become. Yes Uncle Ron, government is the problem when republicans are in control. Why anyone would vote for such a worthless party is beyond me.
LOL you make my day!
Why would anyone vote for such a worthless party? Obvious answer: The alternative is worse. Why worse? Here’s a list of democrat accomplishments over the last 7 years:
Inflaming an ever increasing racial divide.
Impoverishing the largest progressive run state, California, with the highest percentage of those living under the poverty line.
Ignoring our soon to be insolvent entitlement programs (Social Security Disability next year).
Presiding over the slowest economic recovery, the lowest labor participation rate in 4 decades.
Squandering US influence in the world at the expense of vital national interests, particularly the Middle East.
Negotiating a nuclear agreement that will set of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and actually shelter the Iranian nuclear weapons program.
An immigration policy that amounts to the dissolution of our borders in order to import democrat party voters.
Use of the IRS like a sort of political gestapo to shut up conservative groups.
Supporting the sale of baby body parts.
These appear to be the guiding principles of the Democrat party, either by design or by ignorance, aimed at a slow destruction of the country.
Shame you can’t come up with anything original and can only rely on propaganda from the wacky right. But that is to be expected from someone from the party of no. Thanks for verifying
Isn’t that what you do Boots? You just repeat the Democratic mantra just about every time you post. It’s certainly your prerogative to do so but it’s hypocritical for you to critique someone for doing the same thing you do. Thanks for verifying.
d, at least I just don’t cut and paste every day the same lies. I generally do not repeat democratic mantra. Democrats have been relatively timid and have not called republicans out for being the hypocrites they are. I don’t know why they don’t. It is not like the party of No can actually point to any achievements or consistency. It is really a shame that they have abandoned republican values.
Yes, the repetition of simple truth, over and over again, is what you’re experiencing. Hurts, doesn’t it?— and it’s a bit of fun putting your propaganda into perspective (Definition, propaganda: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.)
Too funny Bootsy. “at least I don’t cut and past every day the same lies.” Nice to know you have a rotation on your lies.
Gotta “love” blind party loyalist who spin everything to make it appear that the other party is bad and theirs is great.
But the Republicans are doing their job. Which is to put Wall Street’s issues before Main Street’s issues.
And O and H aren”t raking in the Wall St cash either. Plus, Hillary is getting the quid pro quo donations from foreign gov’s to the Clinton family slush fund foundation.
If Scalia were well and alive today and another Justice had just passed— I wonder what his opinion and reaction to all of today’s “political posturing” be? Would he agree with Obama or with the Senators?
What is the textbook example of an utterly clueless, incompetent, mentally challenged, legend in his own mind, beltway bandit bureaucrat? Right here – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he doesn’t think Obama should put a candidate forward.
Mitch is already suffering the early signs of dementia and Alzheimers, has only one priority, take care of #1.
As Mitch is admitting he is unfit to serve, he should immediately resign, go back home to Kentucky and shovel horse puckey. All he is good for.
Perfect description of Harry Reid.
And Orrin Hatch
He’s doing this to annoy the heck out of the GOP senators. Obama’s wasting his time nominating a judge. It’s going to be shot down in senate.
Obama uses the Constitution when it benefits his extreme ideology and discards it when he doesn’t get his way. Why would the GOP worry about his selection for a Supreme Court Justice? The article nails it, “Obama might pick a nominee who galvanizes Democratic support and fires up interest groups in the election year.” Obamabots want a liberal justice to get all of their free stuff, and to be able to legislate from the bench for decades. Our country hangs in the balance.
If the Supreme Court can elect a President, let’s hold an electoral vote for Justice of the SC. It’s all in the fine print of the Constitution, right?
Still in denial from 2000? How sad.
Our dictator far left liberal Muslim President Barack Hussein Obama is probably frustrated he cannot break the our constitution law again by using his execution action to place his own liberal judge to replace a great devout Christian in Justice Scalia. He won’t even attend Scalia’s funeral. He hasn’t said a word about the nine police officers killed in a week nationwide. Although he’ll attend a thug funeral and at the same time has harsh words for our Police force. Barack Hussien Obama is literally handing over America to the Muslims.
There is no way the Republican control Senate will nominate a liberal, especially rumored Obama choice of his Attorney General who is also anti-police. Barack your choice is “dead on arrival”. Why don’t you retire and go back to your real home in Chicago where there is the highest homicide rate, black killing blacks.
Hopefully America will elect a Republican President, be it Trump, Cruz or Rubio and take OBama and his clone Hillary Clinton to court for some prison time.
Amen