Sanders: McConnell wrong on SCOTUS block (update)

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Sun Feb 14, 2016, 04:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Politico

By JON PRIOR

Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that Republicans would be wrong to block President Barack Obama’s eventual nominee for the Supreme Court.

“I just don’t think it looks good that for very overtly political reasons that the Republicans would deny this president the right to exercise his constitutional responsibility, which is to appoint members to the Supreme Court,” Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week."

“I don’t think the public would look kindly on Republican actions to try to flaunt what he is supposed to be able to do.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans have said they wanted to wait until after the presidential election before taking up a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday.


Bernie Sanders said Republican plans to block a Supreme Court nominee would be "overtly political." | AP Photo


FULL story at link. ORIGINAL story below.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/14/bernie-sanders-says-obama-should-be-allowed-to-nominate-supreme-court-justice/

By Yamiche Alcindor

DENVER — Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont pointedly criticized Republican officials for recommending that President Obama hold off on nominating a successor for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court, who died Saturday.

Speaking on Saturday at an annual fund-raising dinner hosted by the Colorado Democratic Party, Mr. Sanders said Republicans are overlooking the powers given to the president in the Constitution. He chastised Republicans for trying to block President Obama’s ability to nominate a justice for partisan reasons.

“It appears that some of my Republican colleagues in the Senate have a very interesting view of our Constitution of the United States,” Mr. Sanders said. “Apparently, they believe that the Constitution does not allow a Democratic president to bring forth a nominee to replace Justice Scalia. I strongly disagree with that.” (Several Republican candidates said President Obama should let the next president choose the justice or urged the Senate to block the nomination.)

“I very much hope that President Obama will bring forth a strong nominee and that we can get that nominee confirmed as soon as possible,” Mr. Sanders said. “The Supreme Court of the United States has nine members, not eight. We need that ninth member.”

FULL story at link.


Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont during a Colorado Democratic Party dinner in Denver on Saturday.Credit Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/sanders-mcconnell-wrong-on-scotus-block-219281