Top Republicans Are Demanding Senate Block Obama From Nominating Scalia’s Supreme Court Replacement
From Ted Cruz to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, conservatives are insisting President Obama’s constitutional authority be thwarted.
Literally within minutes of news breaking that Senior Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died, leading Republicans and conservatives began issuing statements insisting President Barack Obama be thwarted from placing another justice on the Supreme Court.Â
Second-place Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was among the first.
Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 13, 2016
U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the person who has the most power in this process, issued a statement immediately, effectively blocking any Obama nominee.
“The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,” McConnell wrote, apparently ignoring the President Obama won his second term by one of the greatest majorities in decades. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.”
UPDATE:Â Breaking: Obama Speaks On Nomination To Replace Scalia
Marco Rubio says the “next president must nominate a justice who will continue Justice Scalia’s unwavering belief in the founding principles that we hold dear.”
Jeanette & I mourn the loss of Justice Scalia, and our thoughts & prayers are with his wife Maureen & his family. pic.twitter.com/e03KRZRM6q
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 13, 2016
The co-founder of The Federalist, a right-wing opinion site, was also among the first to insist on blocking the President’s constitutional authority:
If Scalia has actually passed away, the Senate must refuse to confirm any justices in 2016 and leave the nomination to the next president.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) February 13, 2016
This from a writer for the National Review, a far-right site with a decades-long history of racism and homophobia:
Senate must simply refuse to appoint anybody. Would be outrageous to replace a giant like Scalia with a minnow like Sotomayor.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 13, 2016
“We owe it to his memory to ensure that he not be replaced by a left-wing #Obama nominee. The next president should pick his successor,” Newt Gingrich says:
The next president should pick Justice Scalia’s successor. Full statement: https://t.co/gIkuLKN7oG
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) February 13, 2016
Of course, hate group employee Bryan Fischer echoed what many other right wing extremists are saying:Â
Obama has already nominated two liberal Supreme Court justices. Cannot be allowed to go for the trifecta.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) February 13, 2016
Far right GOP Congressman Tim Huelskamp:
Time for @McConnellPress to stand up to Obama. No #SCOTUS appointees until 2017!
— Cong. Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) February 13, 2016
Buzzfeed’s John Stanton and Tarini Parti minutes ago published a piece predicting “The Senate Is Very Unlikely To Confirm A Scalia Replacement This Year.”
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Image by Enokson via Flickr and a CC licenseÂ
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