Bass Statement on President Obama’s Nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for Supreme Court Justice  

“President Obama has nominated a qualified and thoughtful jurist in Chief Judge Merrick Brian Garland to the United States Supreme Court.  Senate Republicans now need to do their job, schedule hearings, and have a vote on Judge Garland’s confirmation. The American public should not have to wait for justice.

“A keen legal mind and committed public servant, Justice Garland served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992 and then as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1993 to 1994. Nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton and then elevated to Chief Justice of the D.C. Appellate Court in 2013, Judge Garland has upheld important environmental laws as well as ensuring that the federal government is transparent and accountable to American citizens.

“The United States Senate has recognized Judge Garland’s qualifications when they overwhelming voted to confirm him in 1997, and he has proven himself to be a deliberate and conscientious justice whose service should continue on the United States Supreme Court.”