Grassley Won't Relent on Obama Court Nominee, Despite Breakfast

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, said he remained firm that President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court would not receive a confirmation hearing or a vote, after a breakfast meeting Tuesday that Grassley’s office called "pleasant."

Grassley, an Iowa Republican, avoided reporters after the hour-long breakfast with federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, Obama’s nominee, by exiting the Senate dining room via a back hallway. His office later issued a statement saying that the meeting was cordial and that Grassley "thanked Judge Garland for his service."

Garland offered reporters a smile but no comment as he walked past them after the meeting.

Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative legal group, praised Grassley’s handling of the nomination in a statement issued after the meeting.

More