Subject: Today from the Constitutional Responsibility Project
From: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
To: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 22:40:23 +0000

Today in the fight for a full and functioning Supreme Court: Judiciary Chairman Grassley admits that a Trump Supreme Court nominee is a "gamble," legal experts and professors write to Senate leadership regarding the importance of a hearing and up-or-down vote on Chief Judge Garland's nomination, Oklahoma Senators issue statement praising Chief Judge Garland's managing role in the Oklahoma City bombing case, and voters continue to tell Senate Republicans to do their job. Tomorrow the Constitutional Responsibility Project will host a press call announcing new recess activities and poll on Pennsylvania voter attitudes.
TIME CHANGE: Friday, April 29, 2016 at 11:00 am ET, the Constitutional Responsibility Project will host a press conference call to announce its latest slate of recess activities to press Senate Republicans to end their unprecedented Supreme Court obstructionism and give Chief Judge Garland a public hearing and up-or-down vote. The Constitutional Responsibility Project in conjunction with Hart Research and the League of Conservation Voters will discuss a new poll finding that Pennsylvanians, including a majority of independents, disagree with Senator Pat Toomey's decision to block Chief Judge Merrick Garland from having a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on his nomination. Please RSVP to [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>.
Chuck Grassley Admits It's 'A Gamble' To Let Trump Fill SCOTUS Vacancy
As reported by the Huffington Post<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chuck-grassley-trump-supreme-court_us_57223b28e4b0f309baefffb3?b03lqudpu496hia4i>:

"Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) conceded Thursday that there's a flaw in the GOP's plan to block President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court: Who the hell would a President Donald Trump pick for the seat?"

"If Trump's elected president, it probably is a little more unknown than if there's a [Sen. Ted] Cruz elected president," Grassley said Wednesday in an interview with Robert Leonard of KNIA/KRLS radio in Iowa. "I would have to admit it's a gamble."

Senate Republican obstruction has hit a new low.
In a statement<http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/04-28-16-leahy-statement> from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Sen. Leahy: "It is our job to ensure that the Federal Judiciary - a co-equal and independent branch - can perform its function under our Constitution.  That is not happening right now.  Vacancies have increased from 43 to 79 since Republicans took over the majority.  In some states, vacancies have reached such high levels that it is hard to see how individuals can obtain prompt justice."

After meeting with Chief Judge Merrick Garland, Sen. Nelson urges his colleagues to confirm Garland "as soon as possible."
The Miami Herald<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2016/04/bill-nelson-meets-with-supreme-court-nominee-merrick-garland.html> reports:

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL): "Judge Garland is obviously qualified and should be confirmed as soon as possible."

Chemerinsky: The Senate cannot constitutionally refuse to act on nominees for the Supreme Court.
Writing in the Orange County Register<http://www.ocregister.com/articles/court-713865-senate-supreme.html>:

Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the UC Irvine School of Law: "The law concerning separation of powers stresses that one branch of government cannot interfere with the functioning of another branch. The Senate's refusal to consider Garland's nomination for the Supreme Court is very much interfering with the ability of the judiciary to perform its essential constitutional roles...A court with only eight justices, and for a prolonged period of time, cannot perform this essential function."

Sen. Inhofe finds Chief Judge Garland to be a "likeable guy" yet continues to support the Senate GOP's obstruction of his nomination.
During their meeting with Chief Judge Garland yesterday, Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and James Lankford (R-OK) praised his service as the lead prosecutor in the Oklahoma City bombing case but refused to give him a hearing or up-or-down vote.

Joint Statement: During our time with Judge Garland, we extended Oklahoma's gratitude for the many weeks he spent in our state working for justice for those who lost loved ones from the Oklahoma City bombing. [News Ok, 04/28/16<http://newsok.com/article/5494609>]

Law professors, legal and human rights organizations write to GOP Leadership urging them to move forward on Chief Judge Garland's nomination.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: "We urge Senators not to be swayed by ideological extremists who have been urging this body to stall Judge Garland's confirmation through disingenuous and constitutionally unsound arguments ...To any honest observer, it is abundantly clear that Judge Garland is a highly thoughtful and well respected jurist with a rich diversity of experience, who will play an important role in healing a fractured Court and in protecting the rights of all Americans."[4/27/16<http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/policy/letters/2016/Leadership-Conference-Letter-on-Garland-Nomination-4-27-2016.pdf>]

West Virginia University Law Professors: "Chief Judge Garland's fitness to serve on the Supreme Court is unquestioned. He has more federal judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in history, having served the past 19 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In that time, he has demonstrated an exemplary judicial temperament, acute intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to impartiality, fairness, and the rule of law...Of course it is entirely appropriate for every senator to thoroughly review Chief Judge Garland's record and qualifications. However, an outright refusal to even consider his nomination runs counter to the Senate's obligation," [4/22/16<http://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/WVU-Law-Professor-letter.pdf>]

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations: "The Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution and laws that affect the legal rights of women and girls influence us for generations. It is critical for the Court to be in full force, doing its job for everyone across this country... The refusal to consider the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, in derogation of both history and precedent, will cause additional litigants and citizens to suffer needless delays and effectively eliminate each citizen's right to a substantive judicial decision rendered by a full Supreme Court." [4/12/16]

A look ahead:

FRIDAY 4/28/16
Event: Constitutional Responsibility Project to Announce Major Recess Activities, Unveil New Pennsylvania Poll
Time: 11:00AM ET **please note the time change**
Host: Constitutional Responsibility Project
Key briefers/speakers Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Stephanie Cutter, Constitutional Responsibility Project; Geoff Garin, President, Hart Research Associates; Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters
DIAL IN: Please RSVP to [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> for call-in information.

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