This post has been updated.
President Obama formally announced his nomination of Merrick Garland to succeed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Wednesday, emphasizing his bipartisan appeal and warning Republicans that blocking the nominee would be an “abdication” of duty.
“These qualities and his long commitment to public service have earned him the respect and admiration of leaders from both sides of the aisle,” Obama said in a press conference in the Rose Garden. “The one name that has come up repeatedly from Republicans and Democrats alike, is Merrick Garland.”
“To suggest that someone as qualified and respected as Merrick Garland doesn’t deserve a hearing let alone an up-or-down vote when two-thirds of Americans believe otherwise, that would be unprecedented,” Obama also said.
Failing to vote on a SCOTUS nominee would render the nomination process “beyond repair,” Obama said, and the “reputation of the Supreme Court will inevitably suffer.”
“To go down that path would be wrong. It would be a betrayal of our best traditions. At a time when our politics are so polarized…This is precisely the time when we should play it straight,” Obama said. “I simply ask Republicans in the Senate to give him a fair hearing and then an up or down vote.”
The President also highlighted that Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch supported Merrick’s confirmation. Hatch is among the Senate Republicans who have said they would look to delay the confirmation of Scalia’s successor until after Obama leaves office.
“Orrin Hatch supported his nomination. Back then he said, ‘In all honesty, I would like to see one person come to this floor and say why Merrick Garland does not deserve this nomination,” Obama said.
Obama also praised Merrick, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, for his “decency” and “even-handedness.”
