Subject: Today from the Constitutional Responsibility Project
From: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
To: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 21:53:25 +0000

Today in the fight for a full and functioning Supreme Court: Iowa voters continue to call on Grassley to stop obstructing the Supreme Court nomination, Americans United for Change and People for the America Way remind us how Republicans are holding the vacancy hostage for Donald Trump, Sens. McConnell and Toomey continue to contradict themselves over the Supreme Court vacancy and we hear more about Chief Judge Garland from those who know him best.

The Iowa Spotlight: Voters continue to be disappointed in Chuck Grassley

Earlier this week, MoveOn.org brought to Washington a group of former Grassley supporters, like Jack Lehmkuhl, to tell their Senator to do his job. We Need Nine's videographer traveled with them as they made their way around town and captured footage from their experiences. Check out the video of their trip HERE<https://www.facebook.com/weneednine/videos/1782716308616560/>.  Hear why Jack felt compelled to come in person to tell Sen. Grassley to stop obstructing the Supreme Court HERE<https://www.facebook.com/weneednine/videos/1782088955345962/>.

Jack Lehmkuhl, bartender, Cedar Rapids: "My family has always supported Sen. Grassley, since his first election. I grew up hearing his name and having a certain amount of respect for him and his judgment. I'm disappointed to say that Sen. Grassley has lost my respect and my support"[Omaha World Herald, 5/12/16<http://www.omaha.com/news/iowa/as-opponents-turn-up-heat-grassley-isn-t-budging-on/article_e6e8feb0-1a12-57c6-94b8-06bc58e46f8a.html>]

In a letter to the editor in the Quad-Cities Dispatch-Argus<http://www.qconline.com/opinion/letters/letter-grassley-senators-should-fulfill-their-oath/article_c327bf2b-3708-54ef-80bb-bf2c1e84ff0c.html>:

William D. Seaver: "[Sen. Grassley's] exactly wrong when saying, "We continue to stand by our commitment to not move forward on a Supreme Court nominee until after the next President has been sworn into office"...Iowans are smart and will remember in November! Senator, Iowa voters elected you to do the job and you swore to do it. You're now breaking your oath to the people you've sworn to serve. Stop the partisan politics, and do your job!"

The Trump effect...

Supreme Court obstruction + Donald Trump = good-bye Republican Senate majority
A memo<http://aufc.3cdn.net/730618bf2536c3d348_i3m6i2xjs.pdf> from Americans United for Change outlines how the Republican Senate majority is in serious danger with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket and as  Senate Republicans continue their unpopular blockade of Chief Judge Garland's nomination.

"[Sen. Mitch McConnell's] decision to hold a Supreme Court seat hostage for a year or longer as "cases large and small are ending in tie votes...and fewer new cases are being granted", severely compounded his political problems. Add Donald Trump to the equation... Swing-state Republican Senators who enable McConnell's nakedly political scheme to hand Trump the appointment might as well start checking the K Street want ads now... While Democrats need only a net gain of 5 Senate seats to reclaim the majority, at least 6 Republican incumbents from states President Obama won in 2012 are already hemorrhaging voters after signing the McConnell Supreme Court political suicide pact."

Arizona radio ad ties Sen. McCain to Donald Trump.
A new Spanish-language radio ad from People for the America Way reminds Arizona voters who will be nominating the next Supreme Court justice if Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)-who is in the reelection race of his life-gets his way.

People for the America Way ad: "Is it because they want to see Donald Trump - the man who called Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers - get to name our next Supreme Court justice?"[New York Times, 5/12/16<http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/05/12/radio-ads-in-arizona-use-donald-trump-to-criticize-john-mccain/?ref=topics&_r=0>]

Donald Trump proves that the Senate Republicans' Supreme Court obstruction is all in bad faith.
The editorial board of the New York Daily News<http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/bad-faith-merrick-garland-confirmed-article-1.2632251> calls out Senate Republicans who are now considering holding hearings and vote for Chief Judge Garland during the lame-duck period now that they are concerned about Donald Trump's electoral chances.

"Just hours after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's February death, Senate Republicans spouted a hard line: There would be no vote, not even a hearing, on any new justice until after the election. Because, the argument went, the people should decide... Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, member of the Judiciary Committee now says: 'If we come to a point . . . where we're going to lose the election in November, then we ought to approve him quickly, because I'm certain he'll be more conservative than a Hillary Clinton [nominee].'...Principle. To Senate Republicans, only one thing can Trump it: political reality."

Donald Trump scares Sen. Mike Lee "to death."
The Washington Examiner<http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mike-lee-on-donald-trump-he-scares-me-to-death/article/2591104> reports that Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has remained committed the Senate GOP's Supreme Court obstruction, recently admitted that he is terrified of Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

Sen. Mike Lee: "I have not supported Donald Trump up to this point, I have not endorsed him. I have some concerns with him. He scares me to death... I'll make the decision as best I can, but I'm not there yet."

HYPOCRISY ALERT

Mitch McConnell uses own election logic against himself
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) seemingly contradicted himself when he took the Senate floor and called on his colleagues not to use the election as an excuse to avoid passing an appropriations bill. This comes as Senator McConnell has used the election as an excuse to not do his job and move forward with Chief Judge Garland's nomination:

Senator McConnell: "And some have said because it is an election year, you can't do much. I'd like to remind everyone, we've had a regularly scheduled election in this country every two years since 1788, right on time. I've heard people say 'Well, we can't do it because we have an election next year.' And people have said 'We can't do whatever it is because we have an election this year.' It is not an excuse not to do our work." [05/12/16]

Sen. Toomey tries to bypass judicial obstruction when it doesn't suit him.
The Huffington Post<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pat-toomey-2016-judicial-nominees_us_5733a50ae4b060aa781944a3> reports that Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) recently asked Sen. Mitch McConnell to hold votes for Pennsylvania federal court nominees despite refusing to act on Chief Judge Garland's nomination.

"The problem with his request is that eight other district court nominees are in line ahead of his, and traditionally, the Senate confirms them in the order that they arrive from the Judiciary Committee... The timing of Toomey's stand seemed a bit orchestrated. He's under tremendous pressure to look bipartisan and to distance himself from the GOP blockade against Obama's Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland. He's in a dead heat<http://www.mcall.com/news/local/elections/mc-pa-senate-toomey-mcginty-quinnipiac-poll-20160511-story.html> with his Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, and a Wednesday poll showed that 58 percent of Pennsylvania voters<http://www.mcall.com/news/local/elections/mc-pa-senate-toomey-mcginty-quinnipiac-poll-20160511-story.html> want the Senate to give Garland a vote."

Chief Judge Merrick Garland: life-long public servant

In a Medium<https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/chief-judge-merrick-garland-the-public-servant-f597a2d2e0c2#.6sdllgl36> post, several of Chief Judge Garland's former clerks reflect on their former boss' commitment to public service and how he impacted their lives - in and out of the court room. Below is a photo of Chief Judge Garland with some of his clerks and their children (his "grandclerks").

[https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*ZJPeZdwNv0Yx-vTeI1_CUw.jpeg]
Jessica Ring Amunson: "I love to watch Judge Garland at the brunch that he and his family host every year at their home for the Judge's clerks and "grandclerks" (the children of his clerks)... Judge Garland quickly puts the kids at ease, getting right down on the floor to play with them and even putting together a scavenger hunt for them in the backyard."

Previn Warren: People have commented endlessly about the Judge's brilliance, his fairness, and his long history of accomplishments, but most people don't realize that he has been able to balance all that while being an incredibly warm and caring father. I started my clerkship just a month after my first son was born and I was always struck by the Judge's ability to so expertly balance his work and family life. That is a rare quality in someone of his stature and it's representative of who he is as a person, not just a jurist.

Kendall Turner: My work with Judge Garland made me realize that, no matter how busy one is, it is important to make time to help those less fortunate. I tutored at the same public elementary school as him because I figured that, if he had time to volunteer, so did I. In my current job, I devote a substantial amount of time to pro bono work for the same reason.

Chief Judge Garland to deliver commencement address at his high school alma mater.
Chief Judge Garland will return to Niles West High School in Lincolnwood, IL-where he was voted "most intelligent" by the Class of 1970-to deliver the commencement address for the Class of 2016. Watch the announcement HERE<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulyOs1VUaUw>.

Gerald Turry, Lincolnwood Mayor and former Niles West teacher: "My first year teaching was 1969 when [Garland] was a senior. He could speak at the most advanced level of maturity that you would see in a high school youngster. He was just as down-to-earth as he was brilliant. His jurisprudence is remarkable.  And obviously you don't get selected as a nominee unless you are very thoughtful and brilliant as a jurist. I have no doubt that he has the capability to be as fair-minded on the bench as he has been throughout his career."[Niles West News, 5/17/16<http://www.nileswestnews.org/breaking-news/community-reacts-to-merrick-garlands-nomination/> edition].

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