The Most Important Task A President Does - Supreme Court Justice Appointment

I have often said that the most important task a President does is the selection of a Supreme Court Justice.  The number of 5-4 rulings on the most critical issues affecting the lives of Americans is why this appointment by Obama will be so critical.

In today's Washington Post, Amber Phillips writes:

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to say just that in a statement Saturday night. "The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice," his statement read. "Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.”

The American people HAVE spoken Senator McConnell.  They spoke in 2008 and in 2012.

Phillips goes on to write:

"Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) fired back in a statement that spending an entire year without considering Obama's nomination to replace Scalia is unprecedented.

"It would be unprecedented in recent history for the Supreme Court to go a year with a vacant seat," he said. "Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate's most essential Constitutional responsibilities."

Reid's office circulated some recent stats noting that, since the Ford administration circa 1975, it has taken on average two months between a judicial nomination to the final Senate vote. Today, it's about 75-90 days on average from the time of a vacancy to appointment on the Supreme Court."

I am very glad the President said (as stated by the article in today's Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin and Paul Kane).   “I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” Obama said, adding that there’s “plenty of time” for the Senate “to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone. They’re bigger than any one party — they’re about a democracy.”