Delaying Justice … for a New President by Mera Heckrodt
Delaying Justice … for a New President by Mera Heckrodt
Ever since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 , the Supreme Court has been reeling . Since the Supreme Court has only eight members , it has faced serious problems in deciding cases . Last session , the justices were obliged to hear all the cases on their docket , even after Scalia had passed . However , this year the Supreme Court has refused to hear any cases that could potentially end in a tie . But this isn ' t the problem .
The real issue lies in the fact that the United States Senate is refusing to conduct hearings to confirm President Obama ' s nomination for a replacement justice . In March of 2016 , President Obama nominated Merrick Garland , broadly considered a well-qualified judge , but the Republican-controlled Senate has not even held a hearing on the candidate . By doing this , the Senate is causing the Obama Administration and the Supreme Court to hang in limbo .
Many Republicans supported the Senate ’ s blocking Obama ' s nomination because they were hopeful that the 2016 presidential election would yield a Republican president : it did . From the Senate ' s perspective , it made perfect sense to hold out , since every month increased the odds that they would be able to approve a Republican judge . Now the Senate will be able to approve a Republican judge ( nominated by president-elect Donald Trump ) to the court , which could affect major decisions in the United States . Although this is understandable , it is not how the justice system should work . Therefore , it is necessary to amend the Constitution .
Since 100 people have been able to delay the justice and political progress of 319 million people , it is apparent that there needs to be change . Many people in the United States are fed up with the Senate ' s inaction , so it makes sense to propose an initiative . The initiative would include an amendment to the Constitution involving a time limit by which the Senate must initiate hearings on a Supreme Court nomination and deliver a decision . It has been eight months since Obama ' s nomination , which is far too long . The initiative would limit debate on each nomination to three months . This time limit would give the Senate plenty of time to research the nominee and thoroughly discuss him or her .
Under this proposal , the president would receive a timely response on the decision of his or her nomination . This would help the president know whether the