Can there be an election year Senate confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice?
February 14, 2016
Congress, Did You Know?, Politics
Why won't there be an election year Senate confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice? The death of Justice Antonin Scalia shocked the current presidential nomination contest, and Republicans at last night's debate were quick to cite a supposed "80-year precedent" without an election year Senate confirmation of any kind. Political historians were quick to point out, however, that the precedent is largely coincidental, and that there's much more to the matter than a quick glance reveals.
