Merrick Garland and Hillary Clinton agree on so many policies that according to Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid if she is elected president, she will push for him to be the next Supreme Court justice.
About one month after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Garland as his replacement. Despite being liked by both parties, the Republicans in Congress announced that they had no plans to confirm him, and some went as far as refusing even to meet with him.
The Supreme Court has been forced to take a long list of decisions on voting rights, abortion, contraception, immigration, and affirmative action with only eight sitting Justices. Many wondered, would Mrs. Clinton nominate a younger left-leaning judge or stick to Garland.
This week, retiring Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reid said that Judge Garland would likely be Clinton’s pick for the open seat if she wins in the fall. He said:
“I am convinced that she would move forward with Garland. He is a fine man, and I don’t need to repeat all the fine things about him. I would think that she and all the people around her would say, ‘Why do we need to rock the boat here? Let’s get him confirmed quickly.”
Asked if he was certain of his comments, he added:
“I think that I can say that with some degree of credibility.”
During the interview, Reid also took a shot at Senate Republicans. He claimed:
“They are improperly obstructing Garland’s route to the Supreme Court. GOP politicians are holding a seat open in case Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the election.”
He concluded by:
“Senate Republicans, even those who have tried to separate themselves from Trump — those who say they won’t vote for Trump — remain vigilant in the quest to hold open a Supreme Court seat for him.”
The Clinton campaign has not commented on the Garland idea being pushed by Democratic leaders. In a recent Fox News interview, Clinton seemed noncommittal about Reid’s proposal.
