Durbin Statement on Supreme Court Vacancy
SPRINGFIELD—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court caused by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia:
Justice Scalia was a person I came to know—he was very bright, funny, and social. We disagreed on a lot of things, but he gave more than three decades of his life to public service and left a real mark on the court. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Senate Republicans have made clear that they won’t even consider a Supreme Court nomination this year. That’s completely wrong. President Obama was elected for four years in 2012—by my watch that leaves eleven months, which is more than enough time to select a nominee, send it to the Senate, and for us to take a vote. That’s all he’s asking for and the Constitution clearly calls for it. Since the 1980s, every person appointed to the Court has been given a hearing and vote within 100 days. For Senate Republicans to reject the idea that the President would have the audacity to do his job for the remainder of his term shows you just how bad things are in this Republican Congress.
The American people deserve a fully functioning government, and that means all three branches established by the Constitution. Senate Republicans continue to think that governing is as simple as being against President Obama at every turn. It’s not, and the American people deserve better leadership than they’re getting with this Congress.