PHILADELPHIA, PA — President Obama and Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland hadn’t even left the Rose Garden before Pat Toomey was out with a statement reiterating his opposition to any Obama nominee. But after polls showing an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians opposed to his position, an onslaught of negative media coverage and grassroots protests, Toomey put a new twist on his position.
“Toomey’s view on the Supreme Court vacancy is deeply unpopular in Pennsylvania, and clearly he is seeking a way out,” said Preston Maddock, spokesman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. “Sadly, he has been on record the past month saying the qualifications of the nominee are irrelevant, and he will not even give them the dignity of a meeting. If Merrick Garland’s credentials deserve careful consideration in eight months, why don’t they now?”
According to Pat Toomey:
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MERRICK GARLAND’S QUALIFICATIONS |
RELEVANT NOW |
RELEVANT NEXT YEAR |
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Graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University (Toomey’s alma mater) |
X |
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Received his law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and served on the Harvard Law Review |
X |
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Clerked for Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, who called him “a person of exceptional talent and great personal integrity” and “one of the best” clerks |
X |
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Oversaw the prosecutions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for the Oklahoma City bombing |
X |
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Oversaw the government’s responses to the Unabomber and the Montana Freemen |
X |
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Was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in 1997 with strong bipartisan support |
X |
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Serves as Chief Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. |
X |
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Serves as a mentor to his law clerks and a tutor to elementary school children |
X |
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Has more federal judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in history |
X |
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