President Barack Obama Schools Republicans On How The Constitution Works

Don't forget, President Obama knows a thing or two about the Constitution.

President Barack Obama (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)

President Barack Obama (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)

What, only Republican presidents get to nominate judges? Is that in the Constitution? I used to teach constitutional law. I’ve never seen that provision.

— President Barack Obama, in remarks given yesterday at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in North Carolina.

President Obama went on to chide Republican senators for their stance on blocking all future Supreme Court nominations if Clinton wins the presidency, saying, “[T]he reason they said they wouldn’t have a hearing or vote for my Supreme Court nominee, bucking all of American history, was because, ‘We thought the American people should decide the next Supreme Court justice.’ Now they’re saying, ‘Well, if they don’t decide the way we want them to decide, maybe we won’t even do that.’ Eleven years ago, Richard Burr said a Supreme Court without nine justices would not work. Well, what changed?” Senator Burr recently vowed to keep any of Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees from being confirmed.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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