Readers React: Republicans’ hypocrisy on confirming a justice during a president’s final year in office

To the editor: Last time anyone looked, presidents were elected to a full four-year terms. Therefore, President Obama is fully within his rights to nominate a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Anyone stating otherwise is uninformed, disingenuous or both, especially if done for partisan purposes. (“Nominating Supreme Court justices is Obama’s job. Let him do it,” editorial, Feb. 14)

For Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to say the vacancy should not be filled until a new president is elected is preposterous. I remind McConnell that on Feb. 3, 1988, he (and every other GOP senator) voted to confirm Anthony Kennedy to the court — and that was during Ronald Reagan’s final year in office.

Hypocritical doesn’t begin to describe this.

Sharie Lieberg-Hartman, Oxnard

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To the editor: I agree 100 % that it is Obama’s job to nominate the next Supreme Court justice.

The second sentence in your editorial’s second paragraph is this: “The American people do have a voice in any nomination Obama makes.” Few can argue that point. However, the American people, through their duly elected senators, also have a voice in who becomes the next Supreme Court Justice.

The American people have elected a Republican-controlled Senate, and the American people, through those senators, have a voice in who is going to be the newest Supreme Court justice.

William Lovelace, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Scalia’s death has set off strenuous objections to Obama nominating a replacement during his final year in office and refusals by Republican senators to act on any nominee who is inconsistent with Scalia’s philosophy.

What would Scalia have said?

The late justice described himself as a fierce advocate of democracy. He said in 2006, “On controversial issues …we debate with each other and persuade each other and vote on it.”

William Hsiang, Irvine

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To the editor: The editorial’s scathing rebuke of Republican obstructionism to any justice nominated by Obama is clearly short on acknowledging historical precedent.

Yes, the president has yet to serve the remaining 11 months of his term and has every right to nominate a successor to Scalia. However, let’s not forget that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) proudly pronounced in July 2007, with the Democrats in control of the Senate and with George W. Bush having 18 months yet to serve, that no Bush Supreme Court nominee should be confirmed.

How Democrats must hate that the shoe is on the other foot.

Vic Miranda, Agoura Hills

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