While the news media welcomed President Barack Obama’s latest Supreme Court nomination with opened arms and told the American people that Obama’s nominee — Judge Merrick Garland — is a “centrist,” conservative and Christian groups are already announcing their opposition, some representing pro-life Christians and American gun owners.
For example, the hugely successful pro-life group, Operation Rescue, upon hearing of the nomination, has already announced its opposition to President Obama’s nomination of Garland to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. To many Americans, the late Scalia was the highest court’s quintessential “originalist” when it comes to the U.S. Constitution.
But Garland, who currently serves as chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and is considered a “liberal,” by Operation Rescue and other conservative groups.
“Millions of lives hang in the balance of each ruling on abortion put forth by the Supreme Court. I refuse to support any nominee – Republican or Democrat – that will not renounce Roe v. Wade and commit to restoring legal protections to the pre-born,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.
Former political activist and strategist Michael Baker agrees with Newman: “Even several liberal-left legal scholars have decried Roe v. Wade as being ‘legislating from the bench.’ They have said that Roe v. Wade is ‘bad law’ and not based on the U.S. Constitution,” Baker added.
Meanwhile, Republican-controlled Senate leadership has pledged not to confirm any nomination for the Supreme Court made by President Obama in this election year. The Judiciary Committee, which would be responsible to hold confirmation hearings for Garland, has vowed not to convene hearings for Obama’s pick.
“I strongly urge the members of the Judiciary Committee to hold fast to their promise, for the sake of the future of our country and the future of our posterity,” said Newman. “The Senate Republican leadership cannot afford to break this important promise to their conservative, pro-life base, if they expect us to vote for any of them ever again.”
Meanwhile, another organization opposing Judge Garland is the National Rifle Association (NRA).
According to the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, Chris W. Cox, “With Justice [Antonin] Scalia’s tragic passing, there is no longer a majority of support among the justices for the fundamental, individual right to own a firearm for self-defense. Four justices believe law-abiding Americans have that right – and four justices do not. President Obama has nothing but contempt for the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun owners.”
Cox points out that President Obama has “already nominated two Supreme Court justices who oppose the right to own firearms and there is absolutely no reason to think he has changed his approach this time.”
A basic analysis of Merrick Garland’s judicial record shows that he does not respect our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. Therefore, the National Rifle Association, on behalf of our five million members and tens of millions of supporters across the country, strongly opposes the nomination of Merrick Garland for the U.S. Supreme Court, according to an NRA statement.
According to the Washington Free Beacon’s Stephen Gutowski, “President Obama’s nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has a record of opposing gun rights as a federal judge, which includes a vote to undo a landmark gun rights ruling.”
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