Obama unlikely to alter Supreme Court ideology with Republican Senate

Los Angeles Times ^ | November 8, 2014 | By DAVID G. SAVAGE, TIMOTHY M. PHELPS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The window for President Obama to add another liberal justice to the Supreme Court probably closed last week when Republicans took control of the Senate.

Over the last 10 years, the Senate's vote on high court nominees has increasingly followed party lines. Republican senators lined up against Obama's first two nominees — Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — but lacked the votes to block them.

Now, they will have the majority to stop any nominee, particularly one with a liberal record.

[DaxtonBrown]

Boo Hoo Hoooo
This makes me so sad.

[Gaffer]

“Probably?”

I’d say that if RBG finally succumbs or gets committed to the loony bin, hopes of an Obama Nomination are “FAT CHANCE”

It is the very minimum we should expect out of this new Senate majority. Even if the seat sits unfilled for two years. I’d rather have a straight split court with NO actions than some Wise Ghetto Sista exacting her own kind of perverted entitlement rights for “her people” as a deciding vote

[trebb]

Don’t waste your tears yet- Ginsberg has been making noises about the proper timing of her retirement and I wouldn’t put anything against their propensity to leverage as much residual damage as they can in the lame duck Senate. I believe we can stop it via procedural delays, but nothing is certain in this lawless version of supreme rulers we have at present.

[Michael.SF.]

Lynch will be the first test of the willingness of the R’s to stand up to Barry, as she is Holder in drag. They won’t and she will be approved.

This article makes a huge assumption : that the R’s have balls. They don’t and anyone Barry sends up will be approved.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Elections have consequences.

[dennisw]

Eat dirt Bammy Boy!!! I love it!!

[Pearls Before Swine]

Reid’s mini-nuclear option allows judicial appointments to be approved by 51 votes during the lame duck session. However, the mini-nuclear option does not apply to the Supremes.

A true FU from the Democrats would be to try to extend their mini-nuclear option to the SJC during the lame duck session, coupled with a Ginsburg retirement. I think all hell would break loose, and they won’t try it, but you never know.

OTOH, if one of the more conservative justices were to fall ill or become incapacitated in the next couple of months, I bet they would, regardless of the uproar, because a liberal appointee would give them a majority (not just a longer-lived replacement) in the Court.

[Nifster]

as if O will change his approach on anything.....what a joke

[Iron Munro]

The authors have more faith in the Republican party than is warranted by their past actions.

[icwhatudo]

BS

The GOP had 44 votes during ACLU leftist Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s nomination. 41 voted to confirm her.

YEAs -—41
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (R-CO)
Burns (R-MT)
Chafee (R-RI)
Coats (R-IN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cohen (R-ME)
Coverdell (R-GA)
Craig (R-ID)
D’Amato (R-NY)
Danforth (R-MO)
Dole (R-KS)
Domenici (R-NM)
Durenberger (R-MN)
Faircloth (R-NC)
Gorton (R-WA)
Gramm (R-TX)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hatfield (R-OR)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Jeffords (R-VT)
Kassebaum (R-KS)
Kempthorne (R-ID)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Mack (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Packwood (R-OR)
Pressler (R-SD)
Roth (R-DE)
Simpson (R-WY)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Wallop (R-WY)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs -—3
Helms (R-NC)
Nickles (R-OK)
Smith (R-NH)

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Hardly. How many “The President deserves his SCOTUS nominees confirmed” remain in the Senate?

[kenmcg]

The pubbies better keep to the nuke option adopted by the RATS, which allows for a simple majority. What’[s good for the goose is good for the gander.

[nhwingut]

Right. An Obama appointee will not have a “liberal record.” LOL.

[bestintxas]

“The window for President Obama to add another liberal justice to the Supreme Court probably closed last week when Republicans took control of the Senate. “

Got news for the author: The GOP does NOT control the Senate and will not do so for another two months, so that window is not slammed shut. There is a lot of havoc to be wrought during this time by Obama/Reid.

Example could be Ginsburg stepping down, Reid changing rules that allow filibuster of SC nominees, and Obama nominating and Dem lame duck Senate approving Eric Holder for the Supreme court.

[Rusty0604]

Is there anything in Lynch’s record that should disqualify her?

[Michael.SF.]

Yes. She has professed, on numerous occasions, her admiration for Holder. That alone should be sufficient.