The unexpected passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia immediately set lawyers and politicians talking about who would get the nod from President Barack Obama to fill Scalia 's slot. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's vow to not confirm any nominee during the remainder of Obama 's term creates an awkward dynamic around any potential pick. Story Continued Below Whoever is nominated will have to consider the possibility of being in limbo for a year or more, if the Senate fails to act during the election year. However, that person might also have a leg up on being nominated by Hillary Clinton, if she wins the nomination and the general election in November. “It certainly is a lot for a person to take on to be the nominee in this heated political climate,” said Elizabeth Wydra of the liberal …show more content…
After considerable parliamentary maneuvering, Millett was confirmed by a 56-38 vote in December 2013. 20160216_Primus_Scalia_Getty.jpg ON THE BENCH Why the Court Will Lean Left Even Without a Scalia Replacement By RICHARD PRIMUS Millett spent more than a decade as a Supreme Court litigator in the Solicitor General’s office at the Justice Department. She later chaired Akin Gump’s Supreme Court practice along with Tom Goldstein, founder of SCOTUSBlog, and sometimes contributed to that site. Merrick Garland Garland is a politically savvy Clinton appointee on the D.C. Circuit who has long been discussed as a potential Supreme Court nominee. He’s well respected by lawyers and lawmakers in both parties. However, Garland’s now 63, making him a decade older than a typical Supreme Court nominee in the modern era. Loretta Lynch Loretta Lynch, 56, has served as Obama’s attorney general for less than a year, after her nomination got caught up in partisan wrangling in the Senate. Senators on both sides agreed that the disputes had little to do with her and she doesn’t seem to have engendered the same anger from the GOP that her predecessor, Eric Holder,