Monday, February 15, 2016
Justice Antonin Scalia's death quickly sparks political battle
Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia, Republican and Democratic leaders must decide whether President Obama or the next president will nominate the next justice. Obama said the would nominate the next successor, but Republican Senate Majority Leader McConnell said the next president should make the decision. However, Senate Minority Leader Reid argued that the President should send a nominee right away. Do you think President Obama should send a nominee, or should they wait a year for the next president to take office? If they do wait, how do you think this will effect the Supreme Court and its decisions?
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I think Obama should nominate a justice that is agreeable both to his party and the Republican Party so that the Supreme Court does not suffer gridlock due to its current 4-4 split. Both sides need to realize that compromise is necessary. The argument that Obama is no longer accountable to the people so he shouldn't get to appoint someone is a ridiculous argument because second term presidents have appointed justices before and, because Obama is still accountable to the people in the sense that his party could do poorly in the upcoming election if he becomes unpopular. Therefore, Obama and the Republicans should agree on a candidate that is qualified and suitable to both parties and leave the election out of this.
ReplyDeleteWhether you are conservative or liberal, you should be able to see that Obama will still be the president for the remainder of 2016 and considering that it is only February, we have a long way to go. This issue exemplifies many politicians' willingness to take desperate measures such as making absurd claims about the legitimacy of Obama's presidential decisions when they might not agree with the outcome. This is the law of the land and while you might not agree with his policies, Obama will be the president for another year and has the right to appoint a Supreme Court Justice.
ReplyDeleteI think Obama should send a nominee that works for both parties. This way the Supreme Court doesn't suffer a 4 to 4 split, which wouldn't be good. Both parties need to realize the compromise is extremely necessary in a case like this. It will be for the better. Even though it's said the Obama isn't responsible for the people of his party that could do poorly if he starts to become less popular in the next election. This is why both parties need to to decide on a nominee that pleases both parties to ensure satisfactory on either side. Obama is the President so he should decide what's right.
ReplyDeleteObama should be nominating another justice during his presidency. With so much opposition from Republicans, maybe the two parties can work out a compromise on who to choose. It would be ridiculous to stall out the nomination process until a new president comes into office, but if we did wait, it would be a very awkward situation for the government to be working on an 8 person court that could end up with split decisions.
ReplyDeleteI think they should definitely fill the position as soon as possible. It doesn't matter when in the president's term the justice dies, it is still his right and his duty to choose a replacement. He has a little under one more year in office, that's plenty of time. Congress is so good at stalling progress though, so trying to stop Obama from nominating someone seems typical...
ReplyDeleteNow there are eighte justices and one more is definitely needed to break any 4-4 ties. As many court cases are close and decided with one final vote, this could severely impact the productiveness of the Supreme Court.
As discussed in class I think it woulds be ridiculous for Obama to wait to nominee a replacement to the Supreme Court because he has enough time to nominate three different candidates if he really wanted to. He is also one of the last prominently Democratic figure we have in the federal government because of the Republican control in the House and Senate. Feel that it is almost necessary to have a Democrat assume the seat of Scalia because that would help to restore balance to our federal government and present a more equal distribution of power among the two parties. If Obama is forced to wait on a nomination I feel that almost nothing will get done among the Supreme Court because a 4 to 4 cross is more probable right now since there is an even number of justices. Lend to class going back to the court of appeals decision, which in turn may cause problems among one of the members in the case.
ReplyDeleteObama can not cave in to Republican demands. And Republicans aside, it is his duty to nominate a Supreme Court justice. He was right in nominating one. Now, in fighting his moderate nominee, Republicans are going to lose not only the battle for the Supreme Court, but also the battle of public opinion, which is going to hurt them in the Senate and House elections in November. Then, after the Republican candidate loses in November, Republicans might have to face the fact that they are in a much worse place than they might have been had they just confirmed Obama's nominee and focused on winning House and Senate seats, and the presidency. There are many important cases on the Supreme Court's docket, and many of those will not receive the finality that they should with a split court. One way or another, there should be a ninth judge.
ReplyDeleteThis is all a flagrant violation of precedent. The audacious Republicans in the Senate are neglecting their duties by refusing to hear the nominee. Obama should take a walk over to the Capitol building and smack McConnell around a bit. Maybe then Mitch will realize that the integrity of the government should come before selfish schemes. Obama and the Democrats need to put a lot of pressure on the Republicans. By doing so, they could potentially raise their public opinion, forcing the Republican Senators to cave.
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ReplyDeleteEven though some may not like Obama or whomever he chooses as a nominee, people need to realize that he still has many months left in his presidency, which is plenty of time to nominate more than one justice, and as the current president, he has the right to nominate a justice. It is absolutely ridiculous that members of the Republican party in Congress are trying their best to prevent him from appointing a justice. It honestly just makes the GOP look even worse than it already is. The fact that Obama’s nominee has not been approved yet, has already caused issues within the court, as seen in the California teacher union case, which resulted in a 4-4 tie and was referred back down to the lower courts. If Republicans do not allow Obama to appoint a justice before his term ends, they will not be in a good position for the November elections.