SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
High-ranking Democrats have called on Republicans to allow a vote on Judge Merrick Garland since his nomination in March. (Photo: Senate Democrats/flickr/cc)
Senators Give GOP Harsh Reminder: #DoYourJob on Supreme Court Justice
'No Supreme Court nominee in modern times has waited this amount of time without at least getting a hearing. This is unprecedented'
Sep 28, 2016
Several organizations and lawmakers rallied together on Tuesday to remind Senate Republicans that they still have a job to do--confirming Judge Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court justice.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Senator Cory Booker (N.J.), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), among others, took to the floor of the chamber to lambaste Republicans for blockading the vote on Garland, who has been waiting for confirmation since President Barack Obama nominated him to the high court in March.
"This Republican Senate, which had such promise according to the Republicans, has been a flop. The Senate hasn't kept its word to the nation," Reid said. "No Supreme Court nominee in modern times has waited this amount of time without at least getting a hearing. This is unprecedented."
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) also joined in the call, stating, "Senate Republicans must do their jobs by holding a hearing and vote of the full Senate on Judge Garland's nomination. Advice and consent isn't an option, it's an obligation."
Urgency is growing as the Senate also prepares to break again from October 7 to November 14. In total, 40 senators introduced a resolution Tuesday that would prohibit a recess for longer than two days for the rest of the session until a hearing and a vote on Garland take place.
As the senators spoke, groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights held a nearby rally under the long-standing banner #DoYourJob, where the organization's executive director, Wade Henderson told the crowd, "Next week, the Supreme Court will begin a new term as it ended the last one--with only eight of nine justices on the bench. And that spells trouble for justice in our nation--more tie decisions and even non-decisions from a court that cannot function short-handed."
"This is simply outrageous and cannot be allowed to continue a single day longer," Henderson said.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Several organizations and lawmakers rallied together on Tuesday to remind Senate Republicans that they still have a job to do--confirming Judge Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court justice.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Senator Cory Booker (N.J.), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), among others, took to the floor of the chamber to lambaste Republicans for blockading the vote on Garland, who has been waiting for confirmation since President Barack Obama nominated him to the high court in March.
"This Republican Senate, which had such promise according to the Republicans, has been a flop. The Senate hasn't kept its word to the nation," Reid said. "No Supreme Court nominee in modern times has waited this amount of time without at least getting a hearing. This is unprecedented."
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) also joined in the call, stating, "Senate Republicans must do their jobs by holding a hearing and vote of the full Senate on Judge Garland's nomination. Advice and consent isn't an option, it's an obligation."
Urgency is growing as the Senate also prepares to break again from October 7 to November 14. In total, 40 senators introduced a resolution Tuesday that would prohibit a recess for longer than two days for the rest of the session until a hearing and a vote on Garland take place.
As the senators spoke, groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights held a nearby rally under the long-standing banner #DoYourJob, where the organization's executive director, Wade Henderson told the crowd, "Next week, the Supreme Court will begin a new term as it ended the last one--with only eight of nine justices on the bench. And that spells trouble for justice in our nation--more tie decisions and even non-decisions from a court that cannot function short-handed."
"This is simply outrageous and cannot be allowed to continue a single day longer," Henderson said.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Several organizations and lawmakers rallied together on Tuesday to remind Senate Republicans that they still have a job to do--confirming Judge Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court justice.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Senator Cory Booker (N.J.), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), among others, took to the floor of the chamber to lambaste Republicans for blockading the vote on Garland, who has been waiting for confirmation since President Barack Obama nominated him to the high court in March.
"This Republican Senate, which had such promise according to the Republicans, has been a flop. The Senate hasn't kept its word to the nation," Reid said. "No Supreme Court nominee in modern times has waited this amount of time without at least getting a hearing. This is unprecedented."
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) also joined in the call, stating, "Senate Republicans must do their jobs by holding a hearing and vote of the full Senate on Judge Garland's nomination. Advice and consent isn't an option, it's an obligation."
Urgency is growing as the Senate also prepares to break again from October 7 to November 14. In total, 40 senators introduced a resolution Tuesday that would prohibit a recess for longer than two days for the rest of the session until a hearing and a vote on Garland take place.
As the senators spoke, groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights held a nearby rally under the long-standing banner #DoYourJob, where the organization's executive director, Wade Henderson told the crowd, "Next week, the Supreme Court will begin a new term as it ended the last one--with only eight of nine justices on the bench. And that spells trouble for justice in our nation--more tie decisions and even non-decisions from a court that cannot function short-handed."
"This is simply outrageous and cannot be allowed to continue a single day longer," Henderson said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.