Within minutes of the news breaking that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died, Republicans said (more specifically Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said) they would refuse to consider ANY Obama nominee to replace him, no matter what. Such a lengthy vacancy on the court would likely preserve the status quo in a number of high-profile cases this term, including those affecting the issues of affirmative action, immigration, abortion access and possibly even the president’s climate regulations. It would also leave in legal limbo countless other cases Scalia and his clerks have worked on this term.
Several critical cases are already pending before the Supreme Court, including:
- The latest attack on abortion rights in Texas
- President Obama’s Clean Power Plan to fight climate change
- The president’s action to allow the “Dreamer” undocumented immigrants to stay in our country
- The right-wing attack on the right of teachers and other workers to form strong unions
- An extremist proposal to roll back voting rights by ending the “one person, one vote” rule
- A Texas case that would limit affirmative action in higher education
It’s time to say resoundingly, “ENOUGH!” Republican obstruction has its limits. We, as Democrats, need to commit to doing everything it takes to retake the U.S. Senate this fall. If the Senate leaves town on recess (which they shouldn’t, the President should hold them in session), President Obama could make an appointment during that recess. And, if the GOP-controlled Senate does successfully manage to block all consideration of President Obama’s nominee, we need to make sure that we elect those who, once seated and sworn in the first week of January, will confirm President Obama’s nominee before our next President is inaugurated.
Along with other matters, such as overturning Citizens United, these cases remind us just how important it is that the next Supreme Court justice share America’s progressive values and rules the right way on these issues. We have an historic opportunity to have a progressive majority on the Supreme Court for the first time in more than 25 years.
Catherine Cortez Masto is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Harry Reid. To assure that our concerns and issues are effectively considered and dealt with by the U.S. Senate, you need to make sure you get out this fall, either during early voting, or on election day, and cast your vote for Catherine. The last person we need claiming to represent Nevada’s interests is a Senator Joe Heck. It’s time to send him packing. We’ve seen what he did in the House and we don’t need even more of that in the Senate.