FOR THE WEEK OF MAR. 28, 2016

Supreme Court seat showdown: Republican senators vow to block President Obama’s nominee

The latest standoff between congressional Republicans and the White House gains fresh urgency next week when senators return from a two-week Easter recess. President Obama will renew calls for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, a federal Court of Appeals judge picked March 16. The president selected him for a lifetime appointment to fill the seat opened by Justice Antonin Scalia's death Feb. 13 at age 79.

Hours after that February news, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there would be no hearings and no vote on any nominee, a choice he says should be left to the winner of November's presidential election. Three Republicans so far say Garland deserves a hearing, but others rally around McConnell. "We are going to wait for the voters to choose the next president and allow that president to make the nomination," says Judiciary Committee member John Cornyn of Texas. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill, reportedly will meet Garland this Tuesday, becoming the first GOP senator to do so. He's in a tough re-election race and is one of the three who say hearings should take place as usual.

"I have fulfilled my constitutional duty," President Obama says. "Now it's time for the Senate to do theirs. Presidents do not stop working in the final year of their term. Neither should a senator." Vice President Joe Biden says the president named a more moderate judge than he might have otherwise done in order to win confirmation in the Senate, where Republicans have a 54-44 majority. (Two senators are independent.) About two-thirds of Americans surveyed want the Senate to hold hearings, according to a poll released last Friday. In a coincidence of timing, Chief Justice John Roberts last month said Supreme Court confirmation hearings should be separated from the political arena, as they traditionally were. "The process is being used for something other than ensuring the qualifications of the nominees," he said just 10 days before Scalia’s death. Roberts was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican.

President says: "He is the right man for the job. He deserves to be confirmed. . . . He deserves a fair hearing." – At March 16 announcement

Nominee says: "For a judge to be worthy of trust, he or she must be faithful to the Constitution and to the statutes passed by the Congress. He or she must put aside his personal views or preferences, and follow the law -- not make it."– Judge Merrick Garland at White House

Republican senator says: "Republicans think the people deserve a voice in this critical decision. The president does not." – Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.