Wednesday, March 16, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama today nominated federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, challenging Republicans to reject a longtime jurist and former prosecutor known as a consensus builder on what is often dubbed the nation's second-highest court.
Garland, 63, is the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a court whose influence over federal policy and national security matters has made it a proving ground for potential Supreme Court justices.
He would replace conservative, Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last month, leaving behind a bitter election-year fight over the future of the court.
The president made the announcement in the White House Rose Garden.
Obama said he believes Judge Garland has a record of bipartisan support and was best poised to serve on the court immediately.
Judge Garland was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in 1997 with backing from a majority in both parties, including seven current Republicans senators.
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democratic leader called Judge Garland's section, "a bipartisan choice," adding: "If the Republicans can't support him, who can they support?"