NEW ORLEANS — The House of Representatives does not have an active role in the Supreme Court nomination and approval process but in April 2016, as then-President Barack Obama weighed a nomination for the United States Supreme Court when a vacancy came due to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise, R-La, the House Majority Whip at that time, made his point of view perfectly clear.
Penning an op-ed in his own words that appeared in the Baton Rouge Advocate, Scalise said that “historical precedent and good judgment” should be relied upon in any attempt to fill the vacancy in the final year of a president’s term.
He left little doubt as to how he felt.
“Here’s the bottom line: The American people should have the chance to make their voices heard this November on the future of the court, rather than breaking with almost 100 years of history," he wrote.
"You don’t have to take my word for it; the precedent for this approach is strong. In fact, for 84 years, no U.S. Supreme Court justice has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a presidential election year to a vacancy created in that same election year.”
Scalise sent a short press release offering condolences Friday night after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That release makes no mention of the expected battle over President Trump’s plan to nominate a justice to the court and Mitch McConnell’s plan to bring it to a vote quickly.
“My prayers are with the family of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a tough fighter, battling cancer multiple times, while still playing a powerful role as a jurist on our Nation’s highest court.”
WWL-TV has sent a request for comment on his column from 2016 and will update the story if and when it receives a reply.
