Watch Live Here At 11 AM EDT – America Will Meet President’s Choice for Nation’s Highest Court
President Barack Obama will present his nominee to the Supreme Court at a ceremony in the White House’s Rose Garden at 11:00 AM EDT Wednesday. It is widely expected to be one of two current judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Chief Judge Merrick Garland or Judge Sri Srinivasan. Both are considered moderates.
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“As President, it is both my constitutional duty to nominate a Justice and one of the most important decisions that I — or any president — will make,” Pres. Obama said in an email sent to NCRM from the White House early Wednesday morning.
“I’ve devoted a considerable amount of time and deliberation to this decision. I’ve consulted with legal experts and people across the political spectrum, both inside and outside government. And we’ve reached out to every member of the Senate, who each have a responsibility to do their job and take this nomination just as seriously.”
In explaining how he reached at his decision, the President wrote, “I held each to three principles that reflect the role the Supreme Court plays in our democracy.”
He said his choice needed to “possess an independent mind, unimpeachable credentials, and an unquestionable mastery of law,” along with “a rigorous intellect.”
They “should recognize the limits of the judiciary’s role,” have “a commitment to impartial justice rather than any particular ideology,” and “interpret the law, not make law.”
He also said “an essential element for arriving at just decisions and fair outcomes” in his choice for the next Supreme court justice is someone who has “a keen understanding that justice is not about abstract legal theory, nor some footnote in a dusty casebook. It’s the kind of life experience earned outside the classroom and the courtroom; experience that suggests he or she views the law not only as an intellectual exercise, but also grasps the way it affects the daily reality of people’s lives in a big, complicated democracy, and in rapidly-changing times.”
The President concluded, “I’m confident you’ll share my conviction that this American is not only eminently qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice, but deserves a fair hearing, and an up-or-down vote.”
“In putting forward a nominee today, I am fulfilling my constitutional duty. I’m doing my job. I hope that our Senators will do their jobs, and move quickly to consider my nominee. That is what the Constitution dictates, and that’s what the American people expect and deserve from their leaders.”
The White House has created a new Twitter account to keep Americans up-to-date on the latest news in the process:Â @SCOTUSnom.
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Image: Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy via Flickr