Supreme Court Nominations

Since President Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat left vacant due to Justice Scalia's death, the news and blogosphere have been filled with speculation on whether Senate Republicans will allow confirmation hearings to be held.

Are you interested in other information about nominations during election years?

Wonder no longer. Barry J. McMillion of the Congressional Research Service wrote a blog post on the subject. Nominations to the Supreme Court During Presidential Election Years (1900-Present) (March 16, 2016).

The table illustrates how few nominations have occurred and their dispositions.

For more information, take a look at the updated Gallagher guide on Supreme Court Nominations. The guide covers selected articles, books, other Congressional Service Reports, and websites on the nomination and confirmation process.

Follow links to read about the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary role in evaluating nominees to the federal bench and to HeinOnline's collection of nomination hearings going back to Justice Brandeis in 1916.