Hirono: Republican Failure to Act on Supreme Court Nominee Unprecedented

Statement

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, joined by Senate colleagues and Congressional Black Caucus leaders today, took Senate Republicans to task over their failure to do their job and commit to taking any action on President Obama's eventual nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Antonin Scalia's death.

"It is unprecedented to announce unilaterally that no part of advice and consent will occur until after an election," said Senator Hirono. "There is a law enacted nearly 150 years ago that says that the Supreme Court shall consist of nine justices, which also presumes that when a vacancy occurs, the President will nominate a replacement and the Senate will provide advice and consent. In my view, this law is violated when Senate Republicans say that it's ok to leave a vacancy unfilled for over a year."

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