Obama's Push for Court Pick Fizzles as Republicans Stand Firm
- Republican obstruction of Merrick Garland shows no cracks
- A hearing or confirmation vote before November is unlikely
President Barack Obama, announces his nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, in the Rose Garden at the White House on March 16, 2016.
Photographer: Joshua Roberts/BloombergA media blitz by the White House and its allies has failed to crack Republican opposition to President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, and it is all but certain the seat will remain vacant until after U.S. elections in November.
Television ad spending to support the nominee, appeals court judge Merrick Garland, has plummeted in the last two weeks, an indication the dispute is losing traction with the public. While 14 Republican senators have met privately with Garland, just two support a public hearing on his nomination. The Senate majority leader, Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, remains adamant that the next president, not Obama, will fill the court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February.