Latinos should support Garland nomination
*This is the perspective that’s been missing, a link between the Garland nomination and the Latino community. It comes down to specific cases pending at the Supreme Court: Fisher v Texas, Whole Women’s Health v Hellerstedt and U.S. v Texas, to name three. Do you think the Senate will back down and give Garland a vote? VL
By Raul A. Reyes, The Hill (3 minute read)
Game on. Even though the Senate is on recess, the fight over the Supreme Court nomination ofMerrick Garland is intensifying. Both Democratic and Republican strategists are ramping up campaigns to sway the public to their side of the issue. But so far, despite the consensus view of Garland as a centrist, Senate Republicans remain opposed to granting him a hearing and confirmation vote.
This GOP obstructionism is unconstitutional and goes against the interests of the Latino community. In fact, Hispanics have sound reasons to support Garland’s nomination. Latinos are increasingly at the center of key Supreme Court cases, and Garland would be a welcome voice of judicial restraint.
Every day, 26 million Hispanics get up, go to work and do their jobs. We have a right to expect that our leaders do the same. Now that President Obama has discharged his duty under theAppointments Clause of the Constitution, it is not unreasonable to expect the Senate to follow suit. Would Senate Republicans refrain from their own votes and decisions this year because it is an election year? Of course not. Besides, the Constitution does not contain exceptions for the final year of a president’s term, or for the “lame-duck period,” which is eight months away.
For Latinos, the stakes could not be higher in the standoff over Garland’s nomination. Consider just a few of the cases before the court this term: In Fisher v. University of Texas, the court is revisiting affirmative action, in a case coming from the state with the second-largest Hispanic population in the country. In Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the right of many Texas women (including thousands of Texas Latinas) to access safe and legal abortions is at risk. In the upcoming U.S. v. Texas, the court will rule on Obama’s executive action on immigration, which could impact an estimated 4 million undocumented immigrants and their families.
Click HERE to read the full story.
Reyes is an attorney and columnist in New York City. He is also an NBCNews.com contributor.
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