Esquire: The Fight Over Justice Breyer's Seat Will Be a Partisan Affair, No Matter What Breyer Thinks of That
It will be fascinating to see what mendacious new “standard” Mitch McConnell concocts that completely reverses his previous new standard.
By CHARLES P. PIERCE
If nothing else, this president could use a break like this. From CNN:
Breyer's decision gives President Joe Biden his first opportunity to name a nominee to the Supreme Court. Although Biden's pick will not change the balance of the court, given that Breyer will almost certainly be replaced with a fellow liberal, the new nominee is expected to be much younger and could serve on the court for decades. The court currently has six conservative justices appointed by Republican presidents, and three liberals appointed by Democrats.
Truth be told, it would have been better for all hands had Breyer announced his resignation 11 seconds after the president was sworn in, instead of maundering on about the essential role of a balanced court while his new colleagues were firing up the chainsaws. And it will be fascinating to see what completely mendacious new “standard” Mitch McConnell concocts that completely reverses his previous completely new standard for denying a Democratic president his right to appoint Supreme Court justices. After all, this one only has to last nine months.