President Barack Obama has followed through on his promise to offer a Supreme Court appointment, naming appeals court judge Merrick B. Garland to the spot left open by the death of Antonin Scalia.
Garland currently serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Prior to that appointment, he had served as Principal Associate Deputy U.S. Attorney General, the Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Prosecutions Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Garland also worked in private practice and taught antitrust law at Harvard Law School.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., released the following statement today on President Obama’s nomination of Garland:
“Merrick Garland is a well-respected jurist with impeccable qualifications and unrivaled experience,” Kaine said. “His legacy as an attorney includes overseeing high-profile domestic terrorism cases. He has also garnered enthusiastic support from Democrats and Republicans in the past, which should leave Republicans in the Senate no excuse for obstructing his confirmation process. Justice demands that the Senate provide advice and consent for any Supreme Court nominee. I commend President Obama for fulfilling his constitutional duty. It’s time for the Senate to do the same.”
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., released the following statement on the Garland nomination:
“Judge Garland is an exceptional judge worthy of the honor of serving on the Supreme Court,” Warner said. “On the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, he has served with integrity and distinction fitting of a nominee to our nation’s highest court, and is widely respected on both sides of the aisle. He is the kind of consensus nominee that I believe is needed at this time.
“This remarkably qualified appellate judge deserves a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, thoughtful consideration by the full Senate, and an up-or-down vote. I strongly urge my colleagues to respect the process and hope that they will allow the Senate to perform its constitutional duty to consider Judge Garland’s nomination.”
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