With Antonin Scalia’s passing, Sen. Ted Cruz insists it’s more important than ever to nominate a Republican presidential candidate who knows a thing or two about the Supreme Court process. Only someone with his background, he suggested, would have the right perspective when deciding whom to nominate as Scalia’s replacement.
As a former clerk for Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Cruz had the opportunity to argue in front of the high court nine times. The senator said these experiences gave him the opportunity to defend principles important to conservatives. None of his competitors, he insisted, have that kind of judicial knowledge.
Cruz argued before the Supreme Court nine times by age 40, winning two cases and losing four, with three cases having a murkier outcome. He says that gives him alone “the background, the principle, the character, the judgment” to find a solid conservative to replace Scalia.
The Cruz campaign has hammered this point home in a new ad highlighting the importance of the makeup of the Supreme Court. It argues that candidates like Donald Trump cannot be trusted to nominate a true conservative to the bench because of past “pro-choice” views. Trump has threatened to sue Cruz for what he says is a false attack.
President Obama, to conservatives’ chagrin, indicated on Saturday his intention of nominating someone for the high court before leaving office. He has “plenty of time” to do so, he noted.
Cruz pledged to “absolutely” filibuster any of the lame duck president’s nominees.
“The people need to decide,” he said.