Numerous news reports indicate that at 11 a.m. this morning Obama will hold a press appearance to introduce Merrick Garland, currently Chief Judge of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, as his nominee to fill the vacancy created by the death of Antonin Scalia.
We will add additional information regarding Garland soon. Not that it likely matters, since Republicans in the Senate have promised not to act on any nomination until the next president. Though, wondering if that will change if Trump is the Republican presidential nominee and it becomes obvious he will lose the presidency and Republicans might lose the Senate, in which case Garland may be less bad than whoever Hillary picks. I predict some wobbling.
But first, the really important question: Do you really think he looks like me?
I’m not seeing any resemblance.
Apparently Obama has had Garland in the back pocket waiting for this moment, USA Today reports:
Merrick Garland almost made it to the Supreme Court six years ago, but he was saved for a time when President Obama might need someone palatable to Republicans to replace a conservative justice.A time like now.Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit — the most common stepping-stone to the Supreme Court — comes straight out of central casting.Like five current justices as well as the late Antonin Scalia, who he would replace, Garland attended Harvard Law School. Like Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor, he’s a former prosecutor. Like Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he comes from the powerful D.C. Circuit court.Garland isn’t even the first Supreme Court nominee to earn undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard, clerk for Judge Henry Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, work at the Justice Department, become a partner at a major Washington, D.C., law firm, and serve on the D.C. Circuit . Roberts did all that.Faced with the opportunity to nominate the court’s first Asian American, third African American or fifth woman in history, Obama opted for a mild-mannered Jew from Chicago who may be the most difficult of all the potential nominees for Republicans to rebuff.
Why is the a “smart” move by Obama? Think Progress notes:
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the longest serving Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, offered his own thoughts on who President Obama should nominate to fill the seat left open by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last week. “[Obama] could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man,” Hatch told the conservative news site Newsmax, before adding that “he probably won’t do that because this appointment is about the election. So I’m pretty sure he’ll name someone the [liberal Democratic base] wants.”
(added) Just after the announcement I appeared on the Jim Vicevich Radio Show:
UPDATE – This is bad, really bad. One of my kids saw this post and texted me:
“Hey, I just read your article about garland as the scotus nominee. I saw a picture of him a couple of days ago when he was rumored to be on the short list and I totally thought he looked like you hahaha”
UPDATE 3-18-2016 – This is getting ridiculous. A group of students told me today they all thought Garland looked like me when the nomination was announced.
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