March 16, 2016

Kilmer Statement on President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) released the following statement after President Obama announced his nomination of Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to the Supreme Court. 

“When I talk to folks in our region, they tell me they want Congress to put aside the partisanship and get to work. Now that President Obama has picked a highly qualified nominee to sit on the Supreme Court, it’s up to the Senate to give Judge Garland a fair hearing and an up or down vote. The American people re-elected President Obama to fulfill his Constitutional duty and make these kinds of decisions. It would be a shame for the voice of the people to be left out if Congress fails to even consider the nominee. Presidential politics and excessive partisanship shouldn’t stand in the way of the functioning of our nation’s highest court.” 

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