American Bar Association former chiefs push for Garland vote

Fifteen former American Bar Association presidents are joining the push to urge Republicans to consider US President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, the Jewish jurist Merrick Garland.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the legal advocates argue that the GOP blockade is injecting politics into the courts in a way that “materially hampers the effective operation” of the judiciary.

The group calls Garland “one of the most outstanding judges in the country” and says the Senate should give him a hearing and a vote.

Judge Merrick Garland at the White House listening to President Barack Obama announce his nomination to the Supreme Court, March 16, 2016. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images via JTA)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley say they won’t consider Garland because an election-year hearing would be too political.

In the letter, the lawyers argue “there is no election-year exception” to the Senate’s advice and consent responsibilities in the Constitution.

— AP