Wisconsin court candidates differ on Scalia replacement

“First and foremost, the person I appoint will be eminently qualified”, Obama writes, adding that he or she must have an excellent record, integrity, an independent mind, rigorous intellect and impeccable credentials.

Bradley didn’t answer, saying she doesn’t comment on politics. He should know that the Supreme Court is comprised of nine men and women. “I believe the overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame-duck president”.

Polls suggest voter opinions are in direct conflict with the vow made by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to obstruct any candidate nominated to replace the late Justice Scalia. Cibolo Creek Ranch owner John Poindexter initially told the press that the Supreme Court justice was invited to the ranch with a sports group at the suggestion of a mutual friend. From overturning a key part of the Voting Rights Act and undercutting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to abandoning precedent on campaign finance, Justice Scalia and his colleagues jumped with both feet into modern issues, with the goal of remaking the law to fit their ideals.

Obama concludes his letter by revealing those are “what I’m considering as I fulfill my constitutional duty to appoint a judge to our highest court”.

GOP senators up for re-election in battleground states face an uphill battle to retain their seats thanks to their insistence on blocking anyone President Obama nominates for the Supreme Court. The Senate race between Johnson and Feingold won’t be decided until November.

“I think we can expect to see a four/four split in the Supreme Court, which certainly raises the stakes for how the court of appeals will decide the case”, says Robert Fischman, Law Professor at the IU Maurer School of Law. The race was also knotted among likely voters.

The poll of 802 registered voters was conducted between February 18 and Sunday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.