U.S. Rep Gregory W. Meeks Applauds Supreme Court Nominee and Urges Senate to Conduct Hearings

U.S. Rep Gregory W. Meeks Applauds Supreme Court Nominee and Urges Senate to Conduct Hearings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Gregory W. Meeks issued the following statement today after President Obama nominated Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, Merrick Garland, to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court:

“I applaud President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court, Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Garland has the experience, credentials, and legal mind necessary to issue decisions that will become the law of the land. With more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history, Chief Judge Garland is highly qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice.

"Many regard him as a “consensus builder.” Acknowledging Judge Garland’s credentials, Democrats and Republicans united in 1997 to confirm his appointment to the D.C. Circuit Court by an overwhelming vote of 76-23. At the time, in a nod to his bipartisan appeal, Senator Leahy noted that Garland “has been seen as a superb nominee by Republicans and Democrats alike, by all writers in the field.” Even President Pro Tempore of the US Senate, Republican Orrin Hatch in 2010 described Garland as a “consensus nominee.”

"I implore Republicans in the Senate to hold hearings on his nomination; to do so would be consistent with Senate tradition dating back more than a century. In fact, the Senate has held a hearing on every single Supreme Court nominee since 1875. Failure to confirm a qualified nominee would leave a vacancy on the Supreme Court at a pivotal time for our nation.

"It is in our nation’s best interest to hold hearings and a vote on Supreme Court nominee, Chief Judge Merrick Garland. I urge Senate Republicans to continue Senate tradition and fulfill their constitutional duty to offer advice and consent on this qualified nominee.”

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