Obama Says Constitution Demands Senate Consider Court Pick
- Casts willingness to hold vote as a test of `fair play'
- Says he will pick someone who `indisputably is qualified'
Obama: Constitution 'Clear' on Supreme Court Pick
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President Barack Obama said the Constitution requires the Senate to consider his nominee to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court and cast Republican leader’s initial refusal to do so as a test of "fair play."
"The Constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed to happen now," Obama said at a news conference on Tuesday after meeting with Southeast Asian leaders at the Sunnylands retreat in Rancho Mirage, California. "Historically, this has not be viewed as a question. There’s no unwritten law that says it can only be done in off-years; that’s not in the Constitution."