From the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland:
AG Frosh Joins 21 Attorneys General in Calling For Prompt US Senate Consideration of Supreme Court Nominee
Baltimore, MD (March 10, 2016) – Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh joined 21 other Attorneys General today in delivering a jointly signed letter to US Senate leaders, calling for prompt action on a nominee to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy. “Failure to do so,” the letter said, “would undermine the rule of law and ultimately impair the functioning of state governments within our federal system.”
The letter was delivered as the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a business meeting where the vacancy was discussed. In part, the attorneys general letter read:
“Throughout our history, the Senate —without exception— has acted promptly to consider qualified nominees to the Supreme Court. The longest the Senate has ever taken to confirm a President’s Supreme Court nominee is 125 days and since 1975, a nominee has, on average, received a vote by the full Senate within 67 days of his or her nomination. Moreover, every nominee since 1875 has received a confirmation hearing. And since 1900, six justices have been confirmed during election years, including Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was confirmed in the final year of the Reagan Administration.”
Attorney General Frosh and other attorneys general noted that states rely on the Supreme Court to evaluate the constitutionality of state laws, and to ensure that federal and constitutional law are interpreted and applied uniformly across all states and territories.
Also on Thursday, Attorney General Frosh issued his own statement calling on the Senate to act:
“I think what Messrs. McConnell and Grassley are proposing is undemocratic, unprecedented and unlawful. If you apply their logic, and I use the word loosely, Senator Grassley’s vote shouldn’t count for the rest of this year. Nor should those of the 23 other Republican Senators whose terms end this year.
One of the revolutionary achievements of American democracy has been the peaceful transition of power at the end of a presidential term. What these folks propose, in effect, is to cut short the term of the President of the United States. It is a nakedly partisan act. It would set a precedent that would undermine the rule of law. Perhaps next year they’ll decide that the President only gets two years to govern. Senator McConnell and his followers have a duty to the American people to do their jobs and to vote on based the merits, not based on partisan politics. They should be ashamed of these tactics.”
The full text of the joint letter is available at: https://www.oag.state.md.us/Press/AGs_letter_to_Senate.pdf
frosh
Another harebrain idea.
I misspoke. I thought this was a measure to change the term of presidency not to confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court. I support this effort. Obstructionists need to do their jobs as per the Constitution.
Common sense AND Constitutional sense.
I agree the president nominates someone who believes the constitution is a relic that needs to be replaced, and THEN the senate votes to send the bum packing.
If anyone knows about undermining the rule of law, Frosh is the one.
I agree that it is a public disgrace that the Senate is refusing to hear nominations for the Supreme Court.
A eight member court is unbalanced. It is vulnerable to tie decisions. The ninth member, or Chief Justice was always the tie breaker.
The Attorney General has my complete support on this issue. But what can we as the little people do to stop it?
The Senate has not refused anything. The leadership says it will. The guy who occupies the people’s house hasn’t sent any names to be considered. Once the mouth in chief does his job the $Senate can begin to do theirs.
How in the world do idiots like Frosh keep getting elected? It certainly says something about the Maryland voter. There is NO TIME LIMIT the senate is under when considering a Supreme Court nominee.
Not holding a hearing isn’t considering the nominee!
You can’t force someone to give consent whenever you want.
Not forcing consent but they aren’t even advising!
They already advised that they’re waiting for marriage.
With all due respect Mr Frosh, if you honestly believe that if the roles were reversed the Democrats would be acting any differently you’re either hopelessly naive or lying to yourself. How about you concentrate on the job you’re paid to do, stay out of issues over which you have no influence and stick to bashing conservatives in your cocktail circuit with your elitist prick friends.
1988 twice in 1972!!!
I love how the Naysayers condemn AG Frosh without knowing a thing about him or his policies, All they know is that he’s a Democrat and that his position supports that of another Democrat, the nation’s first African American president, who will likely be succeeded by another Democrat, the nation’s first woman elected president.
First of all our president would be a loser if he were green. Let us not try to inject race in to his ineptness. As far as Mrs. Clinton goes I think you might be sniffing glue. She too is a loser and a liar.
Get lost, racist Republican.
My opinion is greater than yours.
Well crafted retort fleabagger.
I’m Mr.Moderare, not Mr. Moderate
Typical Republican with no education. Can’t read, little boy boy?
And likely to be indicted unless Obama intervenes.
Sad the GOP can’t come up with someone better!
I don’t condemn Frosh, I only point out hypocrisy when I see it… and I see it on both sides of the aisle. I’d think if you’re truly moderate you’d be livid over the DNC and it’s super delegates trying to jam Hillary down your throat whether you want her or not. At least the Republicans had over a dozen to choose from (and just to show you I’m the moderate, I don’t like any of them either). You only got a geriatric socialist, a failed governor and a criminal. The elites must be shocked at how well Bernie is doing since they were planning on a coronation. As far as Obama, he’s been nothing but a divider… along social, political, religious and racial lines. After his two terms the country is more polarized than ever and I can’t recall any actions by him to try to defuse the situation. Nor can I ever recall a past president insulting me as often. Oh, and I can’t understand why none of the pundits ever talk to anyone in IT because after being in IT for over 20 years I guarantee my colleagues are all shaking their heads when they hear all these scandals of Hillary and IRS and saying this is just so much bull$hit. I particularly love how Obama didn’t know she was using her own server… what, never wondered why her address didn’t end in .gov? Uh-huh, right. Most of these people asking the questions never got their VCR to stop flashing 12:00.
Nixon wasn’t a lame duck in 72.
Kennedy was confirmed 97-0 in 88 but was appointed in 87.
The Senate GOP line was election year. Not lame duck! I am sure Bush was running around Iowa and New Hampshire along with Bentsen and Dukakis in November of 87!
I must have missed something, was someone named as a Supreme Court nominee? Pick the right nominee and I’m sure you can get their votes to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy.
No, you didn’t miss anything. The President is too busy playing golf and issuing executive orders to have nominated anyone yet. Either that or he doesn’t know anyone who could get approved.
Pretty sure some of his 97-0 nominees could get passed if they got a hearing!
There are hundreds of court of appeals judges across the land, there are only nine sitting at 1 First Street. Judicial appointments to district and circuit courts were usually done with the consent of the senior Senator from the state hosting each judge, even if the Senator and President were of different parties since the Senator would filibuster the nomination, thus why you’ll occasionally see district court judges elevated to the circuit court by a President of a different party than the one that put them on the bench.
Remember me? Some nerve you have there.
Yeah, I remember you. You’re the one who made the remark about finding a pubic hair in his Coca Cola.
I misspoke. I thought this was a measure to change the term of presidency not to confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court. I support this effort. Obstructionists need to do their jobs as per the Constitution.