Supreme Court Vacancy: The Republicans Go Off The Deep End

I’ve been absent here for several months. I got tired of the political rhetoric coming out of the Republican Party. So much craziness was coming out of the mouths of Donald Trump and the other candidates that if I started writing about it, it would never end.

But the death yesterday of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was the tipping point for me. Not his death per se, but the Republican response that says President Barack Obama should defer making his recommendation for replacement and leave that for the next president. Some Republicans stated openly that they would not vote on, or they would block, any appointment that President Obama recommended.

This is garbage, pure and simple.

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... Judges of the Supreme Court." This means President Obama is well within his rights to put forth his nomination for Scalia's replacement. Members of Congress swear to uphold the Constitution. If the President makes his recommendation, Congress should vote on it. Of course, they do not need to approve The President’s selection, but in my opinion, NOT to vote on it should not be an option.

Those Republicans who want to block or delay the appointment of a replacement Supreme Court Justice in order to allow the next president to do so should remember that there are no guarantees a Republican will win the next presidential election.

I grow tired of Republicans, who are behaving like petulant children who throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. Those already in Congress should be aware that they represent the people - ALL the people, not just their own party or their own self interests. And those candidates running for president who are not currently members of Congress better get used to the fact that, if elected, they also have to represent ALL people AND uphold the Constitution.


The Republican presidential candidates continue to make themselves look more foolish by the day. It’s embarrassing.



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Abolish Lifetime Supreme Court Appointments

USA Today has an article in today’s paper about the Supreme Court, and the fact that there are currently no vacancies. It also speaks to how there have been some cases where appointees to the Supreme Court have won their seats by seemingly just being in the right place at the right time.

But as I read the article, I find myself more concerned that the high position of Supreme Court Justice is an appointment for life – or, until the person retires/resigns, which usually doesn’t happen until they are very old and have been on the court for a long time.

We need to change this. There shouldn’t be any lifetime appointments in the United States. There should be no position that the people can’t somehow have a choice in making a change. I’m not saying that the court should change with every presidential election; I am suggesting that there should be term limits imposed on these positions to allow for new appointments, and with it, new energy and maybe a new outlook on matters. I would think that 10 years would be long enough to serve.

How can the American people change this? Does it take and act of Congress or something else to do it? I don’t know. But I wish someone higher up in our government would tackle the issue. With the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, it seems the people of the United States spoke strongly that they want change. Maybe this is one more place where we can try to change things? No one in this country should be given a lifetime appointment for anything, and the highest court in the land should be no exception.


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