WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) made the following statement about President Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the US Supreme Court:

“This morning, President Obama nominated Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.  The President has done his job, and now it’s time for the Senate to act. The Senate Majority, however, has stated that it will not consider Chief Judge Garland’s nomination regardless of qualification or the Senate’s constitutional obligation.

“The American people rightly expect that the President’s nominee will receive fair and proper consideration. Crippling the Supreme Court’s functionality because of partisan politics is a shortsighted maneuver that harms our nation. I believe the confirmation process should start as quickly as possible for Chief Judge Garland.”