Leahy Calls for 'Fair and Thorough Consideration' of Next High Court Nominee
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has issued a statement asking senators to “give fair and thorough consideration” to the candidate nominated to replace Justice John Paul Stevens.
Stevens announced today that he will retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s term. Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, called Stevens “the last justice from ‘the Greatest Generation.’ ” Several news stories have identified possible nominees as Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Judge Diane Wood of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
“I hope that senators on both sides of the aisle will make this process a thoughtful and civil discourse,” Leahy said in the statement.
Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice has told Reuters that she expects Republicans will stage a confirmation battle “to stir up their [conservative] base” before congressional elections.
