Theme Panel: Threatening the Legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court Nomination Process

Threatening the Legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court Nomination Process

The process to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s U.S. Supreme Court seat has raised the question about whether the Supreme Court nomination process is legitimate. Many Americans question whether a president should fill a vacancy in a presidential election year and many senators urge the president to forego an appointment. The U.S. Senate failed to carry out the traditional process to confirm or reject a nominee. A U.S. senator threatened to block a potential new president’s Supreme Court appointees throughout her term. The legitimacy of the process is in question in an era of federal government gridlock and intense partisanship.

Participants:
Richard Davis, Brigham Young University (Chair)
John A. Maltese (Presenter)
Lee Epstein, Washington University in St. Louis (Presenter)
Lori A. Ringhand, University of Georgia (Presenter)
Christine L. Nemacheck, College of William & Mary (Presenter)
Paul M. Collins, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Presenter)