President Obama Makes Nomination for United States Supreme Court

MADISON, Wis. — President Barack Obama today made his nomination to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court resulting from the passing of Antonin Scalia.

Judge Merrick Garland currently serves as the Chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was confirmed for his current post in 1997, with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.

In recent weeks Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has joined his Washington, D.C. colleagues in an unprecedented partisan power play, declaring they would rather leave the nation’s highest court in danger of being gridlocked than carrying out their responsibility to consider President Obama’s nominee.

The following are the statements of One Wisconsin Institute Executive Director Scot Ross:

“The American people ought not be forced to suffer the consequences of justice delayed and denied because of an unprecedented partisan political power play by Sen. Ron Johnson and his fellow Washington, D.C. Republicans.

“President Obama was elected by the American people to a four year term of office, and it is his constitutional responsibility to carry out the duties of the office each and every day of that term.

“Nominating justices to fill vacancies on the United States Supreme Court is one of those duties, and today he did his job, nominating Judge Garland.

“Now it is up to Sen. Ron Johnson and his colleagues in the Republican controlled U.S. Senate to meet their responsibilities to consider President Obama’s nominee and show respect for our United States Constitution, the Office of the President and the people of this country.”