The Associated Press is reporting that President Obama’s Supreme Court pick will be Merrick B. Garland, a federal appellate judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Hope he likes being ignored by Republicans!
As SCOTUS Blog reports, Senate Democrats were just briefed on who Obama’s pick would be, likely explaining why it’s been leaked:
Garland has, as SCOTUS Blog writes, spent most of his career in public service, and would likely be a more popular choice than the other potential nominee, Sri Srinivasan, who represented both Enron’s former CEO and ExxonMobil before becoming a judge.
Garland was appointed to the D.C. circuit in 1997 by Bill Clinton, and now here he is, all set to be not-appointed by a bunch of truculent fuckheads.
Update, 10:50 a.m.
Here’s a livestream to watch Obama announcing the appointment:
Update, 11:15 a.m.:
In his announcement, Obama confirmed that Garland will be the nominee, who he describes as “not only one of America’s sharpest legal minds but [who] brings to his work a sense of decency, modesty, even-handedness and excellence.” Garland and vice president Joe Biden both joined Obama for the announcement.
After running through a long list of Garland’s bona fides, Obama also took a second to note that Garland also has an “ability to persuade.” Well, we’ll see, won’t we?
Obama also noted, dryly, that we’re in a “political season” as a country right now, and that might make things a little tough, appointment-wise.
“I know it’s tempting to make this confirmation process simply an extension of our divided politics,” he said “The squabbling that’s going on in the news every day. But to go down that path would be wrong. it would be a betrayal of our best traditions, and a betrayal of the vision of our founding documents.”
The president, forever an optimist, also asked for the Senate to treat the appointment process with “the seriousness and care it deserves.”
Garland. Screenshot via YouTube/George Washington University Law School