Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. (Courtesy the White House)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s decision to nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday did little to alter the politics of the high court fight — at least in Colorado — as Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner immediately reiterated his opposition to any nominee selected by Obama.
“Our next election is too soon and the stakes are too high; the American people deserve a role in this process as the next Supreme Court Justice will influence the direction of this country for years to come,” said Gardner in a statement released even before Obama had finished the Rose Garden ceremony introducing Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Gardner initially had left a open for an Obama pick, but later in opposition.
Since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Republicans have vowed to block any nominee put forward by Obama, a move aimed at preserving the conservative leanings of the Supreme Court that existed while Scalia was still alive.
As part of that argument, lawmakers such as Gardner have pointed to previous statements issued by Democrats that have cast similar doubts on Supreme Court nominations made by Republican presidents toward the end of their terms.
But Senate Democrats, such as U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, have made the counterpoint that the Senate has the obligation to consider Garland as a candidate independent of the politics of the moment.
“Judge Garland has an excellent reputation and is eminently qualified,” said Bennet in a statement following the Rose Garden address. “I worked for and with him at the Justice Department and have a firsthand appreciation for his extraordinary legal skill and respect for the law.”
