Delmarva’s elected officials react to Supreme Court nominee

President Barack Obama has nominated federal appellate judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Delmarva’s elected officials are now giving their opinions on the nomination.

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), an attorney and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court:

“In Judge Merrick B. Garland, the President has nominated a candidate whose judicial experience and previous Senate confirmation suggest someone eminently qualified for consideration for the Supreme Court. Despite that, every nomination to our nation’s highest court deserves close scrutiny, and I look forward to diving deeply into Judge Garland’s qualifications and background and, of course, meeting with him in person — a courtesy I urge every Senator to extend.

“With Judge Garland’s nomination, President Obama has fulfilled one of his most important constitutional responsibilities. Now, all one hundred members of the Senate must do our jobs by providing advice and consent on the President’s nominee. The Senate has a valuable opportunity to show the American people — and the world — that even amidst a divisive presidential campaign, our democratic system still works. We cannot allow year-long Supreme Court vacancies to become the new normal. In the months to come, how the Senate conducts itself will set a precedent for future vacancies — and send a strong signal about whether our constitutional order can still function.”

U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement today after President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, to serve on the Supreme Court.

“The president has done his job, and now it’s time that we do ours. With his nomination of Merrick Garland, President Obama has presented the Senate with a respected jurist that has been confirmed by this body with a strong bipartisan vote once before. He has served this country well on the federal bench for nearly two decades, including the past three years as Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit. Judge Garland has a reputation as a consensus builder—an important quality for any Supreme Court Justice, but it’s particularly important at a time when the Court and our country remains divided on too many issues. I look forward meeting Judge Garland in the coming weeks, and carefully reviewing his nomination.

“I am disappointed by the insistence of some of my Republican colleagues that we should not replace the Supreme Court vacancy until a new President is sworn in. This is unprecedented in our nation’s history. Each of us has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution – some of us many times over – and any abdication of this duty is a failure to serve the American people as we’ve been elected to do. The right and just way to proceed is to begin consideration of Judge Garland’s nomination right away, first in committee and then on the Senate floor. Each of us has a duty to cast our vote, and we should be given the opportunity to uphold it.

“As with many issues, I believe we should look to the example set in my home state of Delaware when considering judicial nominations. Before coming to the Senate, I was privileged to serve as Governor of Delaware. In that role, I nominated dozens of men and women to serve as judges in our courts – including Delaware’s Supreme Court, Court of Chancery, Superior Court, and Family Court. During my eight years as governor, the state legislature never failed to consider a single nomination. Not one. Our state Senate did its job. They handled nominations thoughtfully and promptly – all nominations were given up or down votes. The idea of allowing a vacancy on any court – much less our highest court – for over a year would never pass muster in Delaware, nor should it in Washington.”

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on President Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court:

“Judge Garland is an exceptional judge worthy of the honor of serving on the Supreme Court. 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.”