Subject: Today from the Constitutional Responsibility Project
From: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
To: Natalie Raps <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 22:31:32 +0000

Today in the call for a full and functioning Supreme Court: Vice President Biden discusses the chaos that could result from a 4-4 tie at the Supreme Court, state polls continue to show that voters want their Republican Senators to give a fair hearing and vote for Chief Judge Merrick Garland, while voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa call on their Senators to put politics aside and do what is best for the state's hardworking constituents.

Vice President Biden weighs in on the dangers of an extended Supreme Court vacancy.
In an interview with ATTN:<https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1042587782443347/>, Vice President Joe Biden explains the chaos that could result:

"Because of the disrespect that will grow for the law. Federal law should apply exactly the same throughout the country. The Constitution should apply exactly the same throughout the country. Not to let the Constitution function is totally responsible and it's never happened this way before."

Survey: Most Wisconsinites Want Senate Vote On SCOTUS Nominee.
According to a Wisconsin Public Radio<http://www.wpr.org/survey-most-wisconsinites-want-senate-vote-scotus-nominee> survey, 54% of Wisconsin voters want the Senate to hold hearings and a vote on Chief Judge Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court.

David Helpap, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay political scientist: "Perhaps (the survey) reflects the idea that this is what's called for in the Constitution. That the president should nominate someone and the Senate should hold a vote."

Garland Watch: The Senate Judiciary Committee Did Literally Nothing This Week.
Despite poll after poll showing that American voters want Senate Republicans to do their job, the Senate Judiciary Committee had a completely empty schedule last week.

"Recent data<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/19/democrats-are-winning-the-supreme-court-fight-over-merrick-garland-big-time/>, from Democratic pollster Peter Hart, shows that public opinion has been shifting in favor of Garland over the past three months. The public appeared to be starkly divided along partisan lines in February over whether Garland should get a hearing. However, Hart's data now shows a 9 percent increase in those who believe a nominee should be voted on this year. What's more is that this change appears to be coming from shifting opinions of those identifying as Republican...It is worth noting that the Senate Judiciary Committee did not hold any hearings this week....One can't help but wonder if there was a better way to spend that free time than by doing literally nothing?" [Slate, 04/22/2016<http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/04/22/what_the_gop_has_done_since_merrick_garland_was_nominated.html>]

Nathanial R. Jones, former Judge for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, urges Sen. Rob Portman to do his job.
Writing in the Youngstown Vindicator<http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/apr/24/portman-gop-should-act-on-high-court-nom/?newswatch%20%3Chttp://www.vindy.com/news/2016/apr/24/portman-gop-should-act-on-high-court-nom/>:

"We may come from different political parties and have differing political philosophies, but most Ohioans are united over a belief in the rule of law and that the United States Senate must act promptly to comply with the Constitution by confirming a qualified nominee to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court. All Americans will be harmed if the Senate defaults in its duty...As Ohioans, we have a right to expect that our Sen. Portman will do the job that the people of Ohio elected him to do. Obstruction is not the solution."

Pennsylvania voter: Sen. Pat Toomey's Supreme Court obstruction has disqualified him from my support.
In a letter to the editor in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/letters/2016/04/24/Sen-Pat-Toomey-has-disqualified-himself-from-my-support/stories/201604240129>:

Paul Foster, Squirrel Hill, Pennsylvania: "Regardless of his motive, Sen. Pat Toomey has disqualified himself from my support by refusing to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland for Supreme Court. Apparently he doesn't want to be held accountable for his decision, whether for or against, so he dodges making any decision at all...If not, come this fall I'll vote for the Democrat before I'll vote for the Republican who isn't doing his job."

The cure for an Supreme Court vacancy battle is to give Chief Judge Merrick Garland a hearing and a vote.
Debbie Hoffmann, national president of the National Council of Jewish Women writes in an op-ed for the Cleveland Plain Dealer<http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/04/best_cure_for_the_ugliness_of.html>:

Debbie Hoffmann, national president of the National Council of Jewish Women "Sen. Portman announced that he would not support a confirmation during a presidential election cycle. 'I think [waiting to vote until after the election] is the better thing for the country right now,' he was quoted as saying by cleveland.com. 'If you did it this year, it would be ugly...With all due respect to Sen. Portman, democracy and doing one's job isn't ugly; what is ugly is the current state of affairs in which some lawmakers, including Grassley and Portman, seek to obstruct the constitutional process for purely partisan politics."

Ahead of Earth Day, Sen. Chuck Grassley needs to stop playing politics with the Supreme Court vacancy and America's clean energy future.
Zack Davis, NextGen Climate's Iowa state director, writes in a letter to the editor in the Des Moines Register<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2016/04/22/grassley-stop-playing-politics-court-energy/83337888/>:

Zack Davis, NextGen Climate's Iowa state director: "The American people deserve a full Supreme Court to rule on the crucial issues facing our nation, including the president's Clean Power Plan...The senator's own state is making tremendous progress with clean energy. The largest economic development investment in Iowa's history was announced last week - putting Iowa on the path to 40 percent wind generation within the next few years. But without a ninth Supreme Court justice, further progress is at risk. It shouldn't be about the politics anymore, it's about building a better environment for our children to grow up in."

The GOP has "set itself up for failure" by refusing to consider Chief Judge Merrick Garland's nomination.
The Harvard Political Review<http://harvardpolitics.com/united-states/the-republicans-rash-rejection-of-merrick-garland/> considers how, by refusing to give Chief Judge Garland's nomination fair consideration, Senate Republicans are setting themselves and the Supreme Court up for failure.

"A common argument from Republicans has been that the nominee should be chosen by the president-elect, ignoring the fact the President Obama still has nine months remaining in his term. But the way the election cycle is looking now, the GOP would not stand to gain by waiting for a Trump or Clinton presidency. Trump's radical and "un-Republican" beliefs would most likely result in a contentious Supreme Court nomination, while Clinton's choice may be more liberal and left-leaning than Garland. By acting so rashly and rejecting Garland without much forethought, the GOP seems to have set itself up for failure. Despite Obama's attempts to reach across the aisle with a moderate nominee, the GOP has refused to create a constructive dialogue."

A look ahead at a sampling of activity by our grassroots allies & Democratic Senators:

TUESDAY 4/26/16

Event: Advise and Consent: The U.S. Senate's Role in Confirming Supreme Court Justices
Location: Kennedy Caucus Room, Russell Senate Building, 2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Time: 9AM-10AM local time
Host: Edward M. Kennedy Institute
Key briefers/speakers: Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT); Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Jeff Blattner, President of Legal Policy Solutions PLLC, and former Counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy; Marty Gold, Partner with Capitol Counsel LLC, and former Counsel to Majority Leader Howard Baker; Chris Geidner, Legal Editor Buzzfeed News
RSVP Information: [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>; the event will also be livestreamed at http://bit.ly/1VUcVlt.
Press Contact: Natalie Boyle, [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>,  857-271-3344

Event: Senate Democrats, Environmental Advocates to Demand Senate GOP Move Forward on Supreme Court Nomination
Location: United States Supreme Court, 1 First St NE, Washington, DC 20543
Time: 9:30AM local time
Host: NextGen Climate
Key briefers/speakers: Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI); Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM); Andrea Purse, Vice President, NextGen Climate; Van Jones, Founder, Green for All; Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President, League of Conservation Voters; Nancy Leeds, National Political Director, Clean Water Action
RSVP Information: [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Press Contact: NGC Press Office, 415-802-2423, [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

Event: Toledo #DoYourJob Press Conference
Location: Lucas County Courthouse, 700 Adams St, Toledo, OH 43604
Time: 11AM local time
Host: NextGen Climate/AUFC
Press Contact: Joanne Pickrell, 614-364-1442, [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

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