Speech #1140078461

I believe the plain meaning of the Constitution and the historical record are sufficiently clear to stand on their own as evidence that there is absolutely nothing unprecedented and absolutely nothing improper about the Senate choosing to withhold its consent of a Presidents nominee to the Supreme Court. so I would like to focus on one particular allegation offered by some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. With the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. as well as their own words standing against them. many have turned to fearmongering in a lastditch effort to win the debate. They claim that leaving Justice Scalias seat vacant until the next President nominates a replacement would somehow inflict a profound institutional injury on the Supreme Court by disrupting the resolution of this terms cases before the Court. a term including important cases on abortion. immigration. religious liberty. and mandatory union dues. among others. ensnaring the Court in endless gridlock with an evenly split eight Justices on the bench and leaving it shortstaffed for an unprecedented and potentially prolonged period. Here. the doomsayers are on weak ground. indeed. Lets look at each of these claims in turn.