WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), an attorney and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court:
“In Judge Merrick B. Garland, the President has nominated a candidate whose judicial experience and previous Senate confirmation suggest someone eminently qualified for consideration for the Supreme Court. Despite that, every nomination to our nation’s highest court deserves close scrutiny, and I look forward to diving deeply into Judge Garland’s qualifications and background and, of course, meeting with him in person — a courtesy I urge every Senator to extend.
“With Judge Garland’s nomination, President Obama has fulfilled one of his most important constitutional responsibilities. Now, all one hundred members of the Senate must do our jobs by providing advice and consent on the President’s nominee. The Senate has a valuable opportunity to show the American people — and the world — that even amidst a divisive presidential campaign, our democratic system still works. We cannot allow year-long Supreme Court vacancies to become the new normal. In the months to come, how the Senate conducts itself will set a precedent for future vacancies — and send a strong signal about whether our constitutional order can still function.”