Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that “we need Supreme Court justices” who see the “very pernicious effects” of the Voting Rights Act and Citizens United rulings and “would be looking for people who understood that” to appoint to the Supreme Court on Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball.”
Hillary, who voted against cloture for Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court, said, “Justice Scalia was known for his strict interpretation of the Constitution. So, I find it hard to understand the Republicans wanting to blatantly ignore the Constitution in replacing him. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution clearly says, it’s the president’s job to nominate justices to the Supreme Court with the advice and consent of the Senate, the Constitution doesn’t say, wait a year and hope for a president of a different party, and trying to flaunt the Constitution is a really funny way for the Republicans to be honoring Justice Scalia’s memory and legacy. … So, I think the Supreme Court deserves nine justices, and I think we should demand that the Senate do its duty, and receive and act on whoever the president nominates.”
When asked about fellow candidate Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) litmus test that overturning Citizens United would be a litmus test for any Supreme Court nominee of his, Hillary answered, “Well, I would hop that anybody I appoint would understand the grave damage that Citizens United is doing to our democracy. I think we need to appoint Supreme Court justices who are living in the, you know, the real give-and-take of the world, and can see, with their own eyes, how some of the decisions, whether it’s voting rights, or Citizens United, made by this court, are having very pernicious effects. So, I would be looking for people who understood that.”
After anchor Chris Matthews asked if overturning Citizens United would be a “litmus test?” Hillary said, “Well, I will be — yeah, look I will be talking in detail with anybody that I appoint. And it’s not just that decision, I have a whole range of decisions that I think are really important. So, yeah, it would factor very much into who I nominated.”
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