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Commentary By James R. Copland

MI Responds: Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court

Governance Civil Justice

"MI Responds" features real-time commentary from Manhattan Institute scholars on breaking news and developing issues. Click here to view more.

Judge Garland is an experienced, highly regarded judge—who happens to be a liberal. In other words, he looks a lot like Samuel Alito did when he was nominated by George W. Bush, except that Alito was a conservative rather than a liberal.

Then-Senator Obama not only opposed Alito's nomination but supported a filibuster that would have denied the nominee a vote on the merits, on purely ideological grounds. It's hardly surprising that GOP senators, now in the majority, would approach this nomination similarly."

James R. Copland is a Senior Fellow and Director of Legal Policy at the Manhattan Institute