Justice Breyer Lauded For Service, Republican McConnell Skewered Over Vacancy
“It would simply be unfair and illogical to pick a new justice this close to a presidential election we’re planning to steal,” humorist spoofs
Associate Justice Stephen Breyer was celebrated for his nearly 30 years of service on the Supreme Court as the longest-serving of what remains of the court's liberal wing announced his pending retirement Wednesday.
Many wags and analysts also mocked Sen Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) for his possible reactions to filling the vacancy given the political gamesmanship he played with filling past vacancies.
Breyer, 83, has served on the high court since he was nominated by President Bill Clinton, in 1994.
He is one of just three liberals left on the high court after Donald Trump — with McConnell's help — muscled three of his nominees onto the highest bench in the nation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) both paid homage to Breyer, and outlined his procedure once President Biden nominates a successor.
“For virtually his entire adult life, including a quarter century on the US Supreme Court, Stephen Breyer has served this country with the highest possible distinction,” Schumer said in a statement. “He is, and always has been, a model jurist. He embodies the best qualities and highest ideals of American justice: knowledge, wisdom, fairness, humility, restraint. His work and his decisions as an Associate Justice on the biggest issues of our times — including voting rights, the environment, women's reproductive freedom, and, most recently, healthcare and the Affordable Care Act — were hugely consequential. America owes Justice Breyer an enormous debt of gratitude.
“President Biden's nominee will receive a prompt hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and will be considered and confirmed by the full United States Senate with all deliberate speed.”
And while many others were also celebrated Breyer and his work, others chose to poke good fun at McConnell, given his rather hypocritical stances on filling high court vacancies in the recent past during the time he served as majority leader.
Particularly, McConnell refused to give President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the seat left open with the death of Antonin Scalia. McConnell said in 2016 that it was improper to act on the nominee so close to a presidential election. The seat was held open until Trump became president and successfully nominated Neil Gorsuch for the spot.
Then, just a four years later, with just weeks to go until the 2020 election, McConnell completely ignored his earlier standard and muscled Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett onto the Supreme Court before Biden could be elected and have that chance.
Senate Democrats reportedly intend to push through Biden's nominee on the same, accelerated schedule as Trump and McConnell used for Barrett.
“Has McConnell come out yet and said there isn't enough time left in Biden's term for him to pick a replacement for Breyer?” joked Twitter user Bill Maxwell.
Or, as comedian Trevor Noah imagined McConnell saying, “It is a longstanding tradition that we cannot confirm a Supreme Court justice when there's a new season of Euphoria on HBOMax.”
Chicago Tribune humorist Rex Huppke put it this way, from McConnell's perspective, “It would simply be unfair and illogical to pick a new justice this close to a presidential election we’re planning to steal.”
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