Trump Appeal Now Goes To Court Headed By Merrick Garland

[CatWoman]

President Donald Trump’s attorneys have vowed to appeal Monday’s decision in favor of a House committee seeking his financial records, but people on Twitter were thrilled about where the case will end up.

“We will be filing a timely notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told Politico.

The current chief judge there is Merrick Garland, who President Barack Obama nominated to the Supreme Court in 2016 after Associate Justice Antonin Scalia died.

Senate Republicans stalled the nomination, refusing to vote or even hold a hearing until after the presidential election. Trump won and appointed Neil Gorsuch instead, which meant Garland remained on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where he could now play a role in the looming showdown between the president and House Democrats.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-appeal-merrick-garland_n_5ce37e84e4b075a35a2c285d?fbclid=IwAR03JH11jU2mKJhYcCPoq9NGOrpClvmuS2svVliFeQFLzN05pUHnHjfCmfM&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM5FR6hJ59nBujatng_g4PeOI9EnmWc0kl_rvz6gnWpimG0P6l-4njZaeD2zdnNlN-0MHKa35JvIHS70PSTq0tVY-6iej0xCGfWwF2dnoUy911uF6TWDtkMa832t-K9b85szd9d2PJjaTUW9YSAOE-8K2Hn6oDCeHXAPfW06SuIa

[louis-t]

1. Of course, you know what the reply will be if he loses.

"Loser Garland is just mad cuz he didn't get to be SCOTUS!!1!!1"

[Ohiogal]

4. "No fair!"

"He's an OBAMA judge!"

[cilla4progress]

2. Exactly.

He‘ll claim it's rigged and his cult followers will moo and bark in support!

[Totally Tunsie]

3. Karma, Baby!

[onenote]

5. There is no guarantee Garland will be on the panel hearing the case

While Garland is the "Chief Judge" of the DC Circuit, his role in that position is largely administrative. He doesn't sit on every panel or on more panels than other judges. And while the process for selecting judges to hear a particular appeal is not entirely random, it is not unilaterally in Garland's hands either.

There are 11 active judges and seven senior status judges. In addition to Garland, there are 2 other Clinton appointees, 2 Trump appointees, four Obama appointees and one each from GWB and GHWB. The senior status judges mostly (5) are Reagan appointees, with one GHWB and one Jimmy Carter appointee.

[Ilsa]

6. Bwaaaaaahahahahahaha!!!! It's all McConnell's fault!

If McConnell had let MG's nomination proceed, he could have made a deal with Obama about filling (or not filling) the DC Court of Appeals new vacancy.

Suck it, McConnell!!!