De-Politicize Supreme Court Nominations
Mitch McConnell’s reaction to the death of Antonin Scalia, that any nomination should wait until the next president is elected, is just another glaring example of what is wrong with the Supreme Court nomination process.
President Obama is required to make a nomination; it’s part of his job. It’s easy to presume the worst of a potential nomination since we have seven years of examples where he has been a divider not a uniter. And we have a Republican Senate ready to play its role in potentially blocking any ridiculous nominations. Kagan was a very weak nominee not unlike Thomas on the other side. Both had limited courtroom experience; their nominations were all about abortion. But I’m sorry, the process is more than just abortion.
As a political watcher, I’m half not looking forward to and half wringing my hands with glee at the theatre that is about to be performed; but it’s not healthy for the nation and that’s more important than the antics.
Personally, I am sick of the politicization of this process; there are too many interests in play and too many Americans don’t fully understand the job or role of a Supreme Court jurists.
The only litmus tests to jurists for nomination to the court should be the following: that they have courtroom experience, that they understand that the job is not to fulfill “wants” or dictate political policy but to determine the constitutionality of laws, and that they understand that the Constitution is a legal document that establishes and ensures the rights of the individual and that the federal government exists to preserve those rights. It’s really very simple but unfortunately not in America 2016.
