Appointing a new Justice

When our country suffered a great loss Saturday with the death of Antonin Scalia, it was sad, but not surprising, that many politicians immediately made the choice of his successor a political issue.

Most Republicans are calling for Obama to NOT appoint a successor and leave that decision to the next President. THEY ARE WRONG!  I am ashamed of every one of them. Current Senators who are stating that they will not confirm ANY Obama appointments should be impeached for violating the oath to the Constitution that they took when they assumed their office.

It is vitally important that we appoint a new justice as soon as possible, for a couple of reasons:

First, the next President will not take office for over 11 months.  To allow such an important post to be vacant for almost a full year will be a disgrace.

Second, and more importantly, it is imperative that the new justice be a person of integrity, who will follow the Constitution and the laws of our country when deciding cases, and not let political concerns guide his or her decisions.  Frankly, I have my doubts that either Republicans or Democrats have the political courage to put aside politics and choose the best candidate.

Right now, the Court is pretty well divided between liberals and conservatives.  We need a non-partisan justice with integrity to take Scalia’s place.  What we do NOT need is a radical liberal or a radical conservative.

One of a President’s most important duties is to appoint Supreme Court Justices.  With the Republican controlled Senate, there is no chance a liberal candidate will be confirmed.  So, if Obama wants to do his duty and appoint someone who will actually get confirmed, he must carefully choose a candidate that has a record of following the law and setting aside political issues.  The contrasting desires between the Democratic President and Republican-controlled Senate will ensure proper vetting for any proposed candidate.

On the other hand, if we wait until after the election, it is possible that both the Presidency and Senate will be controlled by a single party. This would allow the party in power to push through whatever radical justice they desire, with no true vetting.  A lop-sided Supreme Court packed with justices that put politics above the law would be a disaster for this country regardless of what side they lean.  If the election results in different parties controlling the Presidency and the Senate, then we will be in the same position that we are in now, but we will have wasted a year.

I am calling on Obama and the Senate to put your political differences aside, and to remember that you are AMERICANS first, and follow the oath that you took when you were elected to your office. In case you forgot, that oath requires your loyalty be to the Constitution, not to your political parties.