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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf Gorsuch is confirmed, the legitimacy of the US supreme court won't recover- Russ Feingold
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/20/judge-gorsuch-confirmation-legitimacy-us-supreme-courtConfirming Gorsuch would endorse and normalize unconstitutional political games. It would encourage both parties to use and expand this strategy in the future, at the expense of our highest court and its critical role in our judicial system.
This time it was the last year of a presidents term, next it will be the year before midterm elections. It wont be long before it extends to the whole two-year presidential campaign, amounting to three years of any presidential term where a supreme court seat cannot be filled.
And it is not just the supreme court that will be affected, as the strategy will be used to block appointments to lower courts. This is a slippery slope that ends with decimating the legitimacy of an entire branch of government, and the resulting checks and balances on which our democracy depends.
This time it was the last year of a presidents term, next it will be the year before midterm elections. It wont be long before it extends to the whole two-year presidential campaign, amounting to three years of any presidential term where a supreme court seat cannot be filled.
And it is not just the supreme court that will be affected, as the strategy will be used to block appointments to lower courts. This is a slippery slope that ends with decimating the legitimacy of an entire branch of government, and the resulting checks and balances on which our democracy depends.
*snip*
Merely delaying Gorsuchs hearing until after an investigation into Russias involvement is completed is not enough. His nomination represents a completely separate threat to our country from Trumps troubling ties to Russia. The Republicans judicial coup spat in the face of our constitution, and a nomination that locks that in as a precedent cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
It is not hypocritical to try to right this wrong. It would be unconstitutional not to. The Senate, specifically Senate Democrats and independents, and any Republicans who care about our constitution, must do everything in their power to block Gorsuchs nomination and demand the legitimacy of our supreme court be restored through the nomination of a consensus candidate.
It is not hypocritical to try to right this wrong. It would be unconstitutional not to. The Senate, specifically Senate Democrats and independents, and any Republicans who care about our constitution, must do everything in their power to block Gorsuchs nomination and demand the legitimacy of our supreme court be restored through the nomination of a consensus candidate.
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If Gorsuch is confirmed, the legitimacy of the US supreme court won't recover- Russ Feingold (Original Post)
JHan
Mar 2017
OP
They couldn't even derail one of those astoundingly bad cabinet nominees...
FenwayDonkey
Mar 2017
#4
jmg257
(11,996 posts)1. yeah - that won't happen. He'll be confirmed one way or the other.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)3. ...but we can't block it without 3 more votes.
Just the facts. No matter how hard the Dems fight.
Unless something comes out that would be so egregious that he turns off Repubs, it is just arithmetic.
It was egregious that Obama's pick wasn't even giving a hearing. Unfair, and probably unconstitutional. The only thing that could have been done was for Obama to have made a recess appointment. For some reason, he chose not to do that.
FenwayDonkey
(68 posts)4. They couldn't even derail one of those astoundingly bad cabinet nominees...
even after some of then lied to congress.
tblue37
(64,979 posts)5. K&R for visibility! nt