In honor of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13, the flags in the Supreme Court building’s front plaza will continue to fly at half-staff for a month. Scalia s unexpected death triggered an election-year political standoff on Capitol Hill as leaders in the GOP-controlled Congress insist President Obama should not nominate a replacement for Scalia and should leave that for the next president who is elected in November. (J. Scott Applewhite, The Associated Press)
Re: Debating GOP s plan to block any nominee from Obama, Feb. 28 letter to the editor.
Democrats like letter-writer Martin Berliner talk about the will of the people having been expressed in 2008 and 2012. What they conveniently and deceptively fail to acknowledge is that the will of the people was expressed more recently in 2014 with the decisive election of a Republican majority to the U.S. Senate.
If Berliner et al. so much want to accede to the will of the people, they will recognize that the Senate has a responsibility in appointing a Supreme Court justice that is co-equal to that of the president. Just as the president has the right to hasten or delay nominating a candidate for the court, the Senate has the right to hasten or delay — or even decline — review of any nominee. The Constitution requires the Senate s consent to appoint a justice, but nothing requires the Senate to vote on a nominee. Refusal to vote amounts to a refusal to consent — thereby refusing to allow the appointment.
Jon L. Bushnell, Littleton
This letter was published in the March 2 edition.
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