Merrick Garland, a longtime Washington lawyer, is considered a moderate jurist. He currently serves as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If approved by Congress, he will fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
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Obama Nominates Judge Merrick Garland to Supreme Court
Scalia Remembered as Wise, Witty & Acerbic
To say Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s intellectual power left an indelible mark the nation’s highest court doesn’t quite capture his reach. Just note the words used to describe his 29 year career shortly after news of his death on Saturday: “remarkable legacy, colossal consequence, an extraordinary jurist…” He was an unapologetic court conservative, famed for “biting dissents,” as one long-time court watcher put it. Scalia was a “textualist,” interpreting the exact words of the U.S. Constitution, not its inferred intent. Along with his many notable court decisions, Scalia has now been pulled into the current presidential campaign: his death has prompted a partisan debate over which president – the incumbent or the winner of the November vote – should appoint his successor.