Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley made a trip to the White House yesterday for a meeting with President Joe Biden. They discussed Biden's upcoming Supreme Court nomination and Grassley reminded him, along with Chairman Dick Durbin and Vice President Kamala Harris, what role the Senate plays in the confirmation process.
“The advice and consent duties of the Senate are a critical constitutional part of appointing justices to the Supreme Court. I appreciate President Biden’s invitation to begin that process as well as his commitment to a process that comports with history, and I urge this bipartisan consultation to continue," Grassley released in a statement after the meeting. “As I have said before, our job is to conduct a thorough review of the nominee’s qualifications, temperament and fidelity to the Constitution. Our process should be full, fair and deliberative. For me, a justice ought to interpret laws according to text and original meaning, not make law from the bench. The nominee’s views on these important matters will be especially critical during the Senate’s review process.”
Today, the Vice President and I met with Senator Durbin and Senator Grassley on the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy. I look forward to nominating someone with extraordinary experience and integrity — someone who will make history as the first Black woman nominated to the Court. pic.twitter.com/LU3wQNbw5m
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 1, 2022
Last week Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Biden not to choose a radical replacement for retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, especially given the 50-50 split and need for bipartisanship.
“Looking ahead — the American people elected a Senate that is evenly split at 50-50. To the degree that President Biden received a mandate, it was to govern from the middle, steward our institutions, and unite America," McConnell said. “The President must not outsource this important decision to the radical left. The American people deserve a nominee with demonstrated reverence for the written text of our laws and our Constitution.”
Meanwhile, Biden continues to receive criticism over his decision to only consider black women for the job.
BREAKING: Just over three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Pres. Biden to consider "all possible nominees," while 23% want him to follow through on his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, per a new @ABC News/Ipsos poll. https://t.co/FHLGrgJg9Z
— ABC News (@ABC) January 30, 2022
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