Head-to-Head: Sri Srinivasan the most capable candidate to fill Supreme Court Justice space
In the wake of the death of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, president Barack Obama finds himself in a very normal position for a president: he has the task of appointing a new Supreme Court Justice, who’ll then be given a timely hearing by the Senate.
Except, the political atmosphere in 2016 is unique.
The Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell (who currently hold the majority) have taken a firm stance that the president to be elected in 2016 should pick the next Justice. This group of Senators have even gone so far as to say that they won’t hold a hearing for any Obama nominee, some stating specifically they have no desire to meet a potential nominee to the Supreme Court.
So Obama has the tough task of picking a candidate who’ll vote favorably, but is moderate enough to pass through the Senate.
Sri Srinivasan is the man Obama is looking for. Srinivasan has been praised by many, including Senate Judiciary Committee’s Chris Coons, as balanced and capable.
His degree from Stanford, lectures at Harvard and exceptional history as a lawyer and U.S. Circuit Court Judge make it hard to deny that Srinivasan is more than qualified.
He’s also the perfect piece for the political plunder guaranteed by McConnell and the Senate. Srivinasan was nominated to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia circuit by Obama in 2013, being confirmed by the Senate unanimously (97-0).
So for the Senate to not confirm Srivinasan, it would take a great deal of explaining backed by a great deal of evidence, the latter of which doesn’t exist.
Furthermore, taking obstructive action could serve to deliver a major blow to the Republican Party. Of the 13 seats in the Senate that are up for re-election, 11 of them are held by Republicans. This means if the Senate denies a reasonable nominee, they could lose seats, and potentially even the majority, in the Senate.
Sri Srivinasan is a capable, moderate candidate to fill Antonin Scalia’s place. Rejecting a reasonable candidate like Srivinasan could very well harm the Republican Party in 2016.
