Twenty-one state AGs call for American people to have a voice in Supreme Court selection.
Attorney General Luther Strange Supports Senate’s Block of Supreme Court Nominee
Shortly after President Obama announced his nomination for Justice Antonin Scalia’s replacement on the Supreme Court, DC Circuit Judge Merrick Garland, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange joined a coalition in opposition. Attorney General Strange joined 20 other Attorneys General in supporting the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s position that the American people should get to weigh in on the selection of their next U.S. Supreme Court justice.
In the AGs’ letter to Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator Charles Grassley, they wrote, “[Nominating a replacement for Justice Scalia] at this time, while we are in the midst of a heated battle for the presidency, undermines the American people’s confidence in their judicial branch by depriving them of a say in the selection of Justice Scalia’s replacement.
“The American people deserve to have their voice heard in this process. That is why we applaud you for exercising the Senate’s constitutional right to advise and consent, and giving the American people a voice in the selection of their next Justice.”
Nationwide, NFIB’s opposition to Judge Garland’s nomination—the first weigh-in on a Supreme Court nomination from NFIB—has been well-publicized.
Juanita Duggan, NFIB’s president and CEO, explained the position in a statement: “A cursory examination of his record points to a judge who nearly always sides with regulators, labor unions and trial lawyers at the expense of small businesses. That’s very discouraging. Small business has been under heavy pressure from the EPA, DOL, the NLRB and the rest of the alphabet soup of regulators that have expanded their power over the private sector. Judge Garland has an extensive record, and based on our initial examination, we have grave concerns.”
Since that initial statement on March 16, NFIB has done significant research on Judge Garland’s record, including putting together a scorecard on his rulings.
