Why some conservatives are changing their tune on Obama's SCOTUS pick
As Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee for president Wednesday, the GOP-led Senate may be thinking twice about refusing Merrick Garland,聽a spot on the US Supreme Court.聽
鈥淩epublicans must know that there is absolutely no chance that we will win the White House in 2016 now,鈥� Leon Wolf, author of the conservative blog RedState, wrote Wednesday. 鈥淭hey must also know that we are likely to lose the Senate as well. So the choices, essentially, are to confirm Garland and have another bite at the apple in a decade, or watch as President Clinton nominates someone who is radically more leftist and 10-15 years younger, .鈥澛�
President Obama鈥檚 nominated Merrick Garland, currently the聽chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, to be the nation鈥檚 113th Supreme Court justice in March after Justice Antonin Scalia passed away unexpectedly in February. Republican senators have refused to hold a confirmation hearing for Chief Judge Garland, the next step in the process as outlined in the Constitution, because they believe the next Supreme Court judge should be nominated by the winner of November鈥檚 presidential election.聽
But with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and聽Ohio Gov. John Kasich out of the running,聽Trump has become presumed nominee and some senators are expected to flip their stance against Garland.聽
鈥�: they feel compelled to block a highly qualified nominee, offered as a compromise, because they want to let President Trump fill the Supreme Court vacancy,鈥� explains MSNBC鈥檚 Steve Benen. 鈥淭here are quite a few vulnerable GOP incumbents in the Senate right now, and this is a tough pitch for them to make to voters in an election year.鈥�
If the GOP-led Senate continues to stall Garland鈥檚 nomination, they face two other options. If Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic nominee, is elected, she could nominate a judge that Republicans dislike more than Garland.聽
Or Republican Senators could place their bets on Trump winning the White House. But with this bet comes another caveat: They must also hope that he appoints a nominee with strict conservative ideals. Because Trump is 鈥渘ot a ,鈥� his nominee could be just as distasteful to conservatives as Mrs. Clinton鈥檚, if she were to be elected.聽
The Republican鈥檚 sticky situation has not been lost on Mr. Obama, who for Garland鈥檚 stalled nomination on Tuesday.聽
But crucial Republican senators like majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte have yet to issue a statement reversing their previous opposition to Garland. Neither have South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham or Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse 鈥� though both have made it clear .
鈥淕arland is not a great choice, but he is not a terrible one, either,鈥� conceded Wolf. 鈥淭he fact that Merrick Garland still exists as an option right now is a gift that should not be squandered. The calculus has changed 鈥� confirm Merrick Garland before it is too late.鈥�
