Conservatives vs. Garland

Grassroots conservatives are demanding conservatives hold the line on Merrick Garland, President Obama's so called "centrist" nominee to the Supreme Court. But some senators are suggesting they won't. As Politico reports:

First, the right pounced on Jerry Moran after the Kansas senator cracked the door open to a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Now, conservatives are starting to turn on John Boozman.

The Arkansas Republican will meet with Garland on Tuesday, even though he says the confirmation process should go no further than courtesy meetings. But that isn’t enough for some on the right, who are upset with Boozman for merely sitting down with Garland.

“A little more than two weeks ago, Boozman vowed to join his Republican colleagues in the Senate and oppose any Supreme Court nominee while this president is in office,” FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon said Monday. “Now he is meeting with the nominee. It makes no sense. This is not the time for squeamishness or timidity.”

The backlash is similar, though not as intense, as the firestorm that faced Moran during the recess when he told Kansas voters that Garland deserved a confirmation process. Conservatives immediately went on the attack, threatening an ad campaign and perhaps even a primary challenger for Moran, who is up for reelection this fall. The former National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman then quickly backtracked on his call for hearings.

This is the sort of nomination that should worry conservatives and libertarians alike. Garland has a record for the same sort of deference to precedent and the legislature that's made John Roberts such an unmitigated disaster on the court. Moreover, he's got a record of deference to the prosecution that should worry those worried about the expanse of police powers and the expansion of illegal NSA style surveillance programs that impact ordinary, law abiding Americans.

We encourage you, once again, to sign our petition telling members of Congress that you won't accept any nominee Barack Obama puts forth to forward his liberal agenda and undermine our Constitution.

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