SCOTUS Garland Nomination DOA? Maybe ... Maybe Not

The recent nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court of the United States may very possibly be the shrewdest move of President Barack Obama’s entire political career. If nothing else, it places Senate Republicans in the unenviable position of being caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. In an apparent knee-jerk reaction following the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a host of Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), vowed to block Obama’s efforts to appoint a new justice to the high court. But the president’s nomination of Garland has undoubtedly shaken some of that Republican resolve. For one thing, Garland is well liked and highly respected not only by his peers in the judiciary but also by federal lawmakers -- Republicans and Democrats alike. Garland, who was appointed to the D.C. federal appeals court by President Bill Clinton in April 1997, was confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 76-to-23. Things Could Change  As things now stand, however, Garland’s nomination appears to be dead on arrival. But that could change -- and rather quickly, too. The political stars appear to be aligning in favor of Donald Trump becoming the Republican Party’s nominee for president. If that happens and Trump fails to beat the Democratic Party’s nominee -- which, in all likelihood, will be Hillary Clinton -- the seat left vacant by Scalia could very easily end up being filled by a jurist far and away more left-leaning than Garland. That is, unless McConnell, in a last-ditch effort to exert a modicum of control, rushes Obama’s choice through the confirmation process during the lame duck session leading up to Inauguration Day 2017. So, what might the nation expect from Supreme Court Justice Merrick Garland?  If his years as Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circu [...]

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