An appeals court judge giving a ho-hum speech at a lawyers’ conference would not normally be a headline-making affair. But when that judge is an embattled Supreme Court nominee facing an unprecedented Senate blockade and is the subject of major White House PR campaign, such a speech becomes a little more notable.
Merrick Garland delivered unscheduled remarks at an annual conference of lawyers and judges Thursday morning, Politico reported. His speech contained nothing out of the ordinary for such an event, Politico noted, but could be interpreted as the White House’s next step in keeping Republicans’ refusal to consider his nomination front and center. A White House camera crew was also in attendance, Politico said.
The speech — given in the atrium of a federal courthouse near the Capitol to about 100 lawyers and judges — was about five minutes long, according to Politico.
The event was a breakfast in honor of the pro bono work done by Washington law firms. Garland said, “Their and your commitment to public service and the law is the same commitment that has shaped the choices that I have made throughout my career.”
“Without legal assistance, poor individuals and families have no real access to justice. Without access to justice, the promise of equal justice rings hollow. Without equal justice under law, faith in the rule of law the foundation of our civil society is at risk,” he also said.
