TOP JUDICIARY DEMOCRAT & CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR CRITICIZE TRUMP’S SCOTUS PICK

Washington, DC - House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA) today released the following statements in response to President Donald Trump’s nomination of  Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Ranking Member Conyers said, “After the Senate Republican Majority committed a dereliction of duty for almost a full calendar year by not granting Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination a hearing or a vote on the Senate floor, the nomination of Neil Gorsuch confirms our worst suspicion – the Republican Majority prefers to abdicate their responsibilities enumerated in the Constitution for partisan gain.”

Conyers continued, “Instead of nominating an even-tempered pick for the Supreme Court like Judge Merrick Garland, President Trump has nominated a right-wing ideologue, butchering yet another opportunity to unite our fractured country. I stand with my colleagues in the House and the Senate who have concerns about Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination and urge Senate Republicans and Democrats to seize this moment to demand that the President nominate someone who can bring our country together.”

Chair Richmond said, “After nearly a year of Senate Republican delay tactics, President Trump has nominated a judge who has been openly hostile to women’s rights and lenient on police brutality to the Supreme Court. Despite the president’s trivial games, this selection has serious consequences for every American. Judge Gorsuch has displayed an inability to be an impartial check to either branch or protect the rights of women and minorities. As a result, I call on my Senate colleagues to oppose Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation and demand a nominee with a record of protecting the rights of all Americans.”

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House Judiciary Democrats Introduce Resolution Urging Senate to Give Full and Fair Consideration to SCOTUS Nominee Merrick Garland

Washington, D.C. –Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), together with the support of all House Judiciary Democrats, introduced a resolution (below) that urges the Senate to observe regular order and to give President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court full and fair consideration and an up-or-down vote.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives'
John Conyers, Jr.

“Judge Garland is an eminently seasoned jurist and an exemplary nominee for the Supreme Court. His deep respect for and fidelity to the Constitution and his sensitivity to the impact of the law on ordinary people make him a good choice to fill the vacancy,” said Rep. John Conyers. “Unfortunately, with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, we have seen partisan politics regarding Supreme Court nominations reach a new low.  While the House of Representatives does not have a formal say in the nomination process, it is important that its voice be heard on this important constitutional matter. I urge the House to pass my resolution and for the Senate to do its job.”

The resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Senate should fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide full and fair consideration of President Obama’s nominee for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland.

Justice Antonin Scalia passed away on February 13, 2016, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court. Acting pursuant to his authority under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland on March 16, 2016 to fill the vacancy with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Within hours of Justice Scalia’s passing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declared that the Senate would not consider any nominee that President Obama would select, regardless of the nominee’s qualifications.  On February 23, 2016, all Republican Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Senator McConnell in which they pledged not to hold any hearings on any person that President Obama nominated to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

“During my more than 50 years in Congress, I have witnessed few comparable examples of partisan politics and complete obstructionism.  There are too many important cases still pending before the Supreme Court to allow this vacancy to stall America’s progress. This is not the first time we have confronted this very situation, as the confirmation of Justice Anthony Kennedy by President Ronald Reagan occurred in 1988, a presidential election year,” continued Conyers. “The Senate should do its job, comply with regular order, hold fair hearings on Judge Garland’s nomination, and then hold an up-or-down vote on the nomination.” 

The resolution was introduced with the support of all Democratic Members of the House Committee on the Judiciary: Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Pedro Pierluisi (D-Res.Comm.- PR), Judy Chu (D-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Karen Bass (D-CA), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Susan DelBene (D-WA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), David Cicilline (D-RI), and Scott Peters (D-CA).

H.R. 661 Urging Senate to Consider Judge Merrick Garland for SCOTUS

Senate Republican Member Signed Letter, No Hearings, 2-13-2016

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Conyers and Cohen Urge Senate to Hold a Vote on SCOTUS Nominee Merrick Garland

WASHINGTON – Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN) released the following statement after President Obama announced D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland as nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Fulfilling his constitutional duty to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, President Obama has nominated Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.  The Senate should now fulfill its responsibility by giving its full and fair consideration to the President’s nomination.

“Judge Garland is an eminently seasoned jurist who has all the qualities that make him an upstanding nominee for the Supreme Court.  His unquestioned intellect, long judicial experience, and even temperament are widely admired and respected.  His deep respect for and fidelity to the Constitution and the law and his sensitivity to the impact of the law on ordinary people make him an optimal choice.

“Leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court for a prolonged period would be irresponsible. Such a prolonged vacancy would impair the Supreme Court’s ability to fulfill its role and leave many critical constitutional and legal questions subject to only lower-level court review.

“The American people twice elected President Obama to fulfill the duties of the presidency, including the duty to nominate Supreme Court justices.  President Obama has fulfilled that duty, and now it is incumbent upon the Senate to give Judge Garland a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote. It is what the American people deserve and expect of their elected officials.”

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