After learning the news of the February 13 death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a statement praising Scalia’s intellect and made clear the Senate must hold to “80 years” of precedent in not confirming a new justice during an election year.
Grassley wrote:
Justice Scalia was an intellectual giant. His originalist interpretation of the Constitution set the standard for the court. He had an unwavering dedication to the founding document that has guided our country for nearly 230 years. His humor, devotion to the Constitution and quick wit will be remembered for years to come. Barbara and I send our prayers to Justice Scalia’s family.
The fact of the matter is that it’s been standard practice over the last 80 years to not confirm Supreme Court nominees during a presidential election year. Given the huge divide in the country, and the fact that this President, above all others, has made no bones about his goal to use the courts to circumvent Congress and push through his own agenda, it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court Justice.
So although Democrats are already demanding that a vote be held within Obama’s remaining “11 months,” according to The Washington Times, Grassley says there are “80 years” of precedent for not confirming Supreme Court justices during an election year. In light of this, he stresses that Scalia’s replacement will not be chosen by Obama but by voters who elect the next president.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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