(1) Barry has shown himself to be shameless with the nomination of Soto and Kagen. These are blatant ideologues who have no business on any court, let alone the USSC.
(2) The balance of the court is at stake, and it would be insane to give this much power to a lame duck President, particularly with his penchant for nominating people with 40+ year life expectancies.
(3) There's no hurry. Only one or two significant cases will be heard for the remainder of Barry's term in office, and the Court can easily defer those if it makes sense to do so.
(4) Although "elections have consequences," fifty-five Republican senators were elected to six year terms, largely to prevent the USSC from being taken over by liberal ideologues. I think this Trumps the one electoral mistake of 2012.
(5) Philosophically speaking, an 8-member Court is BETTER than a 9-member Court. With a 9-member Court, one un-elected person can potentially have an impact that lasts for generations and affects millions of lives. Surely, it is better that such decisions are the result of significant majorities of the court (minimum 5-3), rather than the vote of one person.
(6) Ultimately, the People will decide this question, which is as it should be. The next President, even if it is HRC, will nominate at least two and probably 3 justices during their first term. Voters will know this as they cast their ballots in November, since it will be a major issue during the campaign.
Barry can do whatever he wants, but it is nothing more than a Kabuki dance. There will be no consideration and no vote on his nominee, regardless of who it is.
(2) The balance of the court is at stake, and it would be insane to give this much power to a lame duck President, particularly with his penchant for nominating people with 40+ year life expectancies.
(3) There's no hurry. Only one or two significant cases will be heard for the remainder of Barry's term in office, and the Court can easily defer those if it makes sense to do so.
(4) Although "elections have consequences," fifty-five Republican senators were elected to six year terms, largely to prevent the USSC from being taken over by liberal ideologues. I think this Trumps the one electoral mistake of 2012.
(5) Philosophically speaking, an 8-member Court is BETTER than a 9-member Court. With a 9-member Court, one un-elected person can potentially have an impact that lasts for generations and affects millions of lives. Surely, it is better that such decisions are the result of significant majorities of the court (minimum 5-3), rather than the vote of one person.
(6) Ultimately, the People will decide this question, which is as it should be. The next President, even if it is HRC, will nominate at least two and probably 3 justices during their first term. Voters will know this as they cast their ballots in November, since it will be a major issue during the campaign.
Barry can do whatever he wants, but it is nothing more than a Kabuki dance. There will be no consideration and no vote on his nominee, regardless of who it is.
