Letter: GOP should apply own logic to Gorsuch hearings

President Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court of the United States on March 16, 2016. At the time, President Obama’s approval rating was at 50 percent, according to Gallup. His approval rating climbed through the end of his administration, peaking at 59 percent.

Sen. Mitch McConnell and his colleagues responded, stating they had no intention of interviewing Judge Garland, much less holding confirmation hearings for him. They adopted the curious position that because President Obama was in the last year of his presidency, the “people should choose” the next SCOTUS nominee after the 2016 election.

So now Sen. McConnell and cohort are holding confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch. In keeping with his prior position, Sen. McConnell should suspend the nomination hearings for Judge Gorsuch. After all, President Trump carried the Electoral College vote, but not the majority among voting Americans. And despite his Electoral College win, Trump’s approval rating is historically low at 37 percent. Clearly, even Americans who voted for Trump are having buyer’s remorse.

Furthermore, Trump has registered and actively campaigns for the 2020 election. Sen. McConnell’s position about an outgoing president not being allowed to seat a SCOTUS appointment should apply as well.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 4:10 AM with the headline "Letter: GOP should apply own logic to Gorsuch hearings."