March 16, 2016

Senate Must Vote on Supreme Court Nominee

March 16, 2016

Senate Must Vote on Supreme Court Nominee

Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen

It couldn’t be simpler: The president has nominated a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Now the U.S. Senate should provide or withhold its consent through an up-or-down vote on the nominee.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said only minutes after the nominee was announced that “The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee the next president nominates, whoever that might be.”

Why the next president? Why not wait until the one after that, or the one after that? The United States has a president who was elected fair and square. That president has nominated someone. Now it’s time for the Senate to scrutinize the nominee and take an up-or-down vote on his confirmation.

Americans can take to the streets to advance the demand that the Senate Do Its Job and take an up-or-down vote by joining the Democracy Awakening mobilization, when thousands will converge on Washington, D.C. from April 16-18.