McConnell says Senate won’t vote on Obama Court pick

“I recognize the right of the president, be it Republican or Democrat, to place before the Senate a nominee for the Supreme Court and I fully expect and look forward to President Barack Obama advancing a nominee for the Senate to consider”. In the second session of the 102nd Congress, “the Senate confirmed more nominees, 11, to the courts of appeals that year than in any other presidential election year in United States history”, holding hearings “on district court nominees every month from January to September; court of appeals nominees received hearings in every month from February to September”.

The back-and forth underscored the high-stakes political showdown that Scalia’s death has sparked.

According to the constitution, the president nominates justices to the court while the Senate uses its “advice and consent” powers to confirm or reject that person.

This, of course, is quite an inconvenient bit of video now that Biden, as vice president, will be enlisted to support Barack Obama’s impending nomination to replace the recently deceased Antonin Scalia.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP PhotoSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Democrats accused Republicans of being obstructionist, but when Democrats controlled the Senate and Republican George H.W. Bush was in the White House, then-judiciary committee chairman Joe Biden proposed the same thing Republicans are doing now.

After Scalia passed away, Collins and Senator Angus King, I-Maine, were asked if they would consider an Obama nomination. That was a reference to GOP congressional gains in the 2014 midterm elections.

As ThinkProgress’ Igor Volsky and Biden himself have pointed out, when taken in context, that wasn’t Biden’s point.

Grassley called the comments “The Biden Rules” and said the vice president “knows what the Senate should do”. To say that he opposed filling a court vacancy, he said is “not an accurate description of my views”. “This is a foolish gambit to deny President Obama his constitutional right to appoint nominees to the Supreme Court”.

Three Democrats are vying for the nomination in the March 15 primary: two-term U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, of Hoffman Estates; former Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp; and state Sen.

Kirk’s statements come as he’s facing a hard re-election bid. “The Founding Fathers never intended the Senate to simply run out the clock on its constitutional duties, subverting the president’s authority and leaving the judiciary in absolute limbo”. It also found most of Obama’s foes don’t want hearings no matter who he nominates. “In this case, the Senate will withhold it”, Sen McConnell said on Tuesday. And for the second day in a row, Vice President Joe Biden is center stage as Senate Republican leaders are growing increasingly confident they can unite their party behind a hard-ball strategy to block any consideration of an Obama nominee.

“It’s really up to Sen”. A committee review and a hearing is the first step in the process.