Mitch McConnell is blocking dozens of President Obama’s judicial appointments in an attempt to rig the courts.
According to Politico:
The GOP-controlled Senate is on track this year to confirm the fewest judges since 1969, a dramatic escalation of the long-running partisan feud over the ideological makeup of federal courts.
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The standoff, if it continues through the 2016 elections as expected, could diminish the stamp that President Barack Obama leaves on the judiciary — a less conspicuous but critical part of his legacy. Practically, the makeup of lower-level courts could directly affect a number of Obama’s policies expected to face legal challenges from conservatives.
Republicans appear willing to absorb criticism that they’re interfering with the prerogative of a president to pick his nominees in the hopes that the GOP can get its own judges installed in 2017, with one of their own in the White House. In the meantime, federal courts could be left with dozens of unfilled vacancies. More than two dozen federal courts have declared “judicial emergencies” because of excessive caseloads caused by vacancies.
It isn’t a coincidence that Republicans are challenging nearly everything that President Obama does via executive action in court while blocking his judicial nominees.
Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans are abusing their confirmation power to rig the courts. Their scheme hinges on the increasingly far-fetched idea that Republicans will take back the White House in 2016.
What will McConnell do if the Democratic nominee wins the presidential election? Will they continue to block judicial appointments for the next four to eight years? As usual, Republicans have not thought their plan through.
If Democrats take back the Senate majority in 2016, McConnell and the GOP will regret their plan because Democrats aren’t going to forget, and payback will be severe.
Senate Republicans are proving that they have no interest in governing. Their only concern is preventing President Obama from getting anything done.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
