Tag: Supreme Court

Trump Pledges To Appoint Anti-Choice Supreme Court Justices

On Fox News last night, Donald Trump talked about overturning Roe v. Wade and said he would appoint anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court.

Trump’s anti-choice message was made clearest when host Bill O’Reilly asked him how he’d promote anti-abortion values:

“[T]he biggest way you can protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people on the court…by electing me president…It could be as many as five judges that are appointed.“

Donald Trump’s plan to appoint justices who’d support outlawing abortion fits right in with his recent assertion that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who seek abortions.

Here’s a recap of today’s coverage of Trump’s discussion about overturning Roe v. Wade:

USA Today: Trump: My SCOTUS nominee may try to overturn Roe v. Wade

Huffington Post: Donald Trump Promises To Appoint Anti-Abortion Justices To Supreme Court

MSNBC: Trump’s promise: ‘I will appoint judges that will be […]

Read more after the jump.

Roy Blunt Has Time For Crab Cakes And Campaign Cash. His Job? Not So Much.

Roy Blunt is a busy man these days. Too busy to call his son’s math teacher, and definitely WAY too busy to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. 

But Senator Blunt did have time to attend a swanky fundraiser in Washington, D.C. Thursday night. Too busy to do his job, not too busy to fraternize with Washington’s elite.

With a plurality of Show-Me State voters supporting President Obama’s decision to name a nominee, Senator Blunt should take the message from his constituents: do your job.

Read more after the jump.

Holding Out For A Trump Nominee, Ron Johnson Admits Partisan Obstructionism On SCOTUS Vacancy

Senator Ron Johnson, who’s said he’ll support Donald Trump as his party’s nominee, this morning confirmed that Republican obstructionism on refusing to even consider an Obama nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy is pure partisan politics.

Johnson confessed that it would be a totally different if there was a Republican in the White House.

Apparently Johnson is — like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the rest of his Senate colleagues — choosing to ignore the Constitution and hold out for a Donald Trump nominee.

Key Point:

“It’s a different situation,” Johnson said. “Generally, and this is the way it works out politically, if you’re replacing — if a conservative president’s replacing a conservative justice, there’s a little more accommodation to it.”

Read more here.

Read more after the jump.

Marco Rubio Saying Second-Term Presidents Can’t Nominate Supreme Court Justices?

Credit where credit is due: Marco Rubio might have found the most preposterous excuse for the Senate trying to prevent President Obama from doing his job and nominating a Supreme Court justice. The president is “completely unaccountable,” Rubio alleges, because he won’t be up for reelection.

That’s right. Despite all precedent to the contrary, Marco Rubio now says any second-term president shouldn’t be allowed to put forth a nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court because they don’t face voters again. That just doesn’t make sense. First of all, President Obama has nearly a year left in office to fulfill his constitutional responsibility to put forth a nominee, and he has every right to carry out that duty. Secondly: remember this?

Either way, the nonsensical “accountability” principle would similarly apply for Marco Rubio. He isn’t up for reelection, either — so why should he be allowed to vote in the Senate?

Maybe […]

Read more after the jump.

Party Of Trump Delay, Delay, Delays Filling SCOTUS Vacancy

Hugh Hewitt asked Donald Trump about a litmus test for his Supreme Court nominees and he immediately turned to hit Ted Cruz for supporting John Roberts, in what is a dog whistle for conservatives upset over his support for the Affordable Care Act decision.

What’s most striking, though, is that every candidate on stage is a hardline obstructionist, unwilling to even consider that President Obama be able to act on his constitutional responsibility to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

Donald Trump had just one suggestion on filling the Supreme Court vacancy for the already gridlocked Republican-led Senate at the last debate: delay, delay, delay. 

And the Party of Trump has quickly complied.

Marco Rubio, who we already know hates doing his job, encouraged his fellow senators to ignore their constitutional duties in favor of obstructing justice. And there’s little doubt that Ted “shut down the government” Cruz, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had a hand in GOP senators’ […]

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Strict Obstructionist Rob Portman Won’t Even Meet With SCOTUS Nominee

All aboard the strict obstructionism train. Senator Rob Portman is joining his Party of No, saying he will not even meet with President Obama’s pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy:

Portman (R-Ohio) also said Wednesday he wouldn’t meet with a potential Obama pick.

“Not if we’re not going to move forward,” said Portman, who’s under attack from expected general election opponent Ted Strickland, a former democratic governor.

A majority of ​Ohio voters think the Senate should at least hold hearings for a nominee, “including 58 percent of women and independents,” according to the Huffington Post. Portman’s decision to follow Mitch McConnell, who barely managed to win the approval of 14% of Ohio voters, is extreme as it is dangerous to his re-election campaign.

Portman should stop obstructing justice and do his job.

Read more after the jump.

NH Senator: Ay-m N-otte Going to Do My Job

Senator Kelly Ayotte has cast her lot with the Republican Party’s strict Supreme Court vacancy obstructionists, then taken things a step further: Ayotte’s now saying that she would refuse to even sit down and talk with a Supreme Court nominee.

Granite Staters have got to be wondering why Senator Ayotte is unwilling to do her job and carry out her constitutional obligation to consider a nominee and fill the vacancy. 59% believe that the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled this year — rather than be left empty for two consecutive court terms.

And voters definitely won’t be impressed that Senator Ayotte’s following Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has a 14% approval rating in New Hampshire, off an obstructionist cliff.

Senator Kelly Ayotte’s refusal to even sit down and talk with a potential nominee is unconscionable — and it’s a glaring neglect of her senatorial duties. 

Read more from Politico

Read more after the jump.

New Website — How Many More Lame Excuses Will Senate Republicans Give To Block A Nominee?

For Immediate Release:
February 22, 2016
Contact: Dawn Le, 202-549-6798
 
New Website — How Many More Lame Excuses Will Senate Republicans Give To Block A Nominee?

As Congress reconvenes, Senate Republicans are only hurting themselves as they keep up with the bad excuses for blocking any Supreme Court nominee. They care more about getting pats on the back by the Koch Brothers than doing the work voters elected them to do. Clearly, the Senate Majority isn’t working. 

Follow who’s avoiding doing their job at American Bridge’s Strict Obstructionists website, with real-time updates, research, tracking live statements and news footage from the Republicans’ interviews and events. Along with it, American Bridge is monitoring how the Koch Brothers’ network and other right-wing groups are working to block the next Supreme Court nominee.

Read more after the jump.

Jeb Bush’s Model Supreme Court: Extreme, Right-Wing

At tonight’s CNN town hall, Jeb Bush said that he would nominate a Supreme Court justice in his last year as president. But at the same time, he’s arguing that President Obama should shirk his constitutional duty to fill the Supreme Court vacancy because he wouldn’t have a consensus pick.

But what’s Jeb Bush’s idea of a consensus pick? He’s made it clear that should he become president, he’d nominate the most extreme, far-right justices to the Supreme Court.

Read more after the jump.

Toomey On SCOTUS Vacancy: “It’s Not That Big A Deal”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

That’s what Senator Pat Toomey told the Associated Press this afternoon in reference to the Supreme Court being left with only eight justices.

“Senator Pat Toomey’s dismissive attitude towards his constitutional duty shows he works in lockstep with obstructionist Republicans led by Senator McConnell rather than working on behalf of Pennsylvanians. Despite his re-election vulnerability this November, it’s no surprise that Sen. Toomey is shirking his duties. The Keystone State has already suffered a judicial emergency from Sen. Toomey’sbizarre blocking of his own nominee last year,” said American Bridge President Jessica Mackler. “If Senator Toomey doesn’t believe a vacancy for up to two court terms is a ‘big deal,’ he and his fellow obstructionist senators should step aside and allow someone who is willing to do their jobs to take office.”

Read more after the jump.