The 2016 election had lot of talk about “rigging” this or that by the Republican candidate. But there is no more clear example of rigging than the stonewalling of President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to fill the ninth Supreme Court vacancy.
It is the duty of the president to nominate Supreme Court candidates and the duty of the Senate to give them an up or down vote. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, flatly stated that there would be no hearings or confirmations of anyone Obama put forth. That effectively rigs the system against constitutional authority and denies the currently sitting president a qualified nominee. It is a gross dereliction of the Senate’s duty and sets a troubling precedent for the future.
If the 2016 president-elect does put forth a Supreme Court nominee, and it isn’t Garland, that is tantamount to political theft. Garland deserves an up or down, yes or no vote. Anything less is unconstitutional and un-American.
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