Chairman Goodlatte: The American People Should Have a Say Regarding the Next Supreme Court Justice

Washington, D.C.—House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement on President Obama’s intention to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia during the president’s last year in office: “It does not take a constitutional scholar to understand the influence a Supreme Court justice has on shaping the future of our country. This is a major decision that will shape the legal landscape of our country for decades and the American people deserve to have a say in this matter.“President Obama has proven time and again throughout his time in office that he is all-too-willing to overstep his authority and ignore the Constitution to achieve his policy goals. I have no confidence that President Obama intends to nominate a justice to the Supreme Court who will uphold the original meaning of the Constitution and the limited powers it grants the executive branch.“I strongly support the Senate Republican leadership’s decision to empower the American people to speak in November on this important decision that will significantly impact the future direction of our country.”