New Top Judiciary Dem Warns Trump: We Won't Forget How GOP Treated Garland

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

By TIERNEY SNEED Published NOVEMBER 16, 2016, 12:18 PM EDT

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the Democrat who will become the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee next year, warned in a statement Wednesday that Democrats will "scrutinize" President-elect Donald Trump's judiciary nominees and won't forget how President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee was blocked by Senate Republicans.

"After the unprecedented and disrespectful treatment of Merrick Garland—a moderate judge who should have been quickly confirmed—the committee will pay very close attention to proposed nominees to ensure the fundamental constitutional rights of Americans are protected," Feinstein said.

Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, was nominated by President Obama in March to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February. In a unprecedented move, Senate Republicans denied Garland a committee hearing and a vote -- many refused to even meet with him, as is custom -- after GOP leaders had vowed to block any nominee Obama put forward. "When President-elect Trump is willing to support responsible policies and nominees, I’ll hear him out, but this committee has a vital role to protect the Constitution and scrutinize policies, senior officials and judges very carefully, and that’s what we intend to do," Feinstein said in her statement. "We simply won’t stand aside and watch the tremendous successes achieved over the past eight years be swept away or allow our nation’s most vulnerable populations to be targeted."

Feinstein will take over the role as top Democrat on the committee with the news that that the current ranking member Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) would step down from the position. Leahy will remain on the committee, but said he was giving up the ranking membership position because he was taking over the top Democratic role on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/feinstein-statement-on-judiciary-committee

[47of74]

1. Good. Give them a couple million gallons of their own medicine.

[Hekate]

2. Good for my Senator

[Vinca]

3. If there are any openings in the 4th year, the nominations should go nowhere.

Payback's a bitch.

[Retrograde]

6. Why wait?

Since Trump received fewer votes than Clinton, and fewer than Obama did in 2012, he clearly doesn't have a mandate, nor do his choices reflect the opinion of the American people. Veto ALL his choices!

[BigDemVoter]

4. I've gotten very angry with Senator Feinstein in the past but

she is a tough and feisty woman who neither minces words or makes promises she cannot keep.

Those assholes started it with Merrick Garland, ostensibly so that the "voice of the voter" could be heard (despite the fact that the voters had "spoken" by electing President Obama). Well. . . The voice of the voters was heard on November 8, and a majority of voters in this country voted for HRC and her values. The Yam has no mandate and very likely committed treason during the campaign by colluding with a foreign government to interfere in the outcome of an election.

Quite frankly, the fate of the country is at stake, and we should block ALL Supreme Court nominations until 2020.

[Equinox Moon]

5. There is talk Obama can install him without the hearings

the precedent is they obstructed the constitutional process.

[dflprincess]

7. I hope they stick to it this time

and not roll over like they've done so often in the past.