Speech #1140078838

The cautiousness with which Senators in times past have approached electionyear vacancies is only amplified by present circumstances. As my colleagues in the minority are fond of saying. elections have consequences. and the election of 2014 certainly had tremendous consequences. In the last election. the American people went to the polls to register their opposition to the wide range of illegal and unconstitutional actions of the Obama administration. including: its unilateral cancellation of duly enacted law. such as with illegal immigration. its regulation contrary to the plain text of the law. such as with the Clean Power Plan. its willingness to ignore its statutory obligations without meaningful justification. such as with the Presidents decision to release the top five Taliban leaders in U.S. custody without notifying Congress beforehand as required by Federal law. its efforts to stretch what lawful authorities the executive branch does possess beyond all recognition. such as with its mass clemency effort for drug offenders. and its attempt to bypass the Senates role in the confirmation process. one of nearly two dozen times the Obama administration has lost 9 to 0 before the Supreme Court. The American people elected our Republican Senate majority in large part to check the overreach of President Obama. and given how crucial the courts have proven in holding this administration accountable to the Constitution and the law. the Senate has every reason to approach lifetime appointments cautiously and deliberately. especially appointments to the highest Court in the land. Moreover. leaving Justice Scalias seat vacant until after the election would hardly result in a constitutional crisis.