Thode letter: Supreme Court nominee
In the Feb. 9 Idaho Statesman, Robert Ehlert wrote an opinion urging the quick confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Among other things, he said, “Gorsuch should not be subjected to any partisan, ideological witch hunt from either side, any more than former President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, deserved the treatment he received last year.”
I guess it’s just the Republicans who are allowed to ignore longstanding norms when a Supreme Court seat opens up, and refuse to even give Garland a hearing for almost a year. This despite many conservatives having been on the record prior to the seat opening up, saying that Garland was a great judge.
Apparently there are signs that Democrats in the Senate are not just going to roll over and allow Mitch McConnell and his colleagues to cheat the system with no repercussions. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon suggests that he will filibuster any Supreme Court pick that is not Merrick Garland. I hope he does so, and I hope the other Democratic senators will join him.
Walt Thode, Boise
This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Thode letter: Supreme Court nominee."