WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris joined with attorneys general from 19 other states and the District of Columbia to draft a letter to the U.S. Senate, asking it to act promptly in filling the Supreme Court vacancy.
“The president has a constitutional responsibility to nominate a qualified candidate to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, and the Senate has the responsibility to consider that nominee without undue delay,” Harris said in the letter. “The failure to act due to political motivations would be a blatant disregard for one of the Senate’s most important constitutional responsibilities.”
The letter discusses how important a full and functioning Supreme Court is to the states. They rely on it to resolve questions of federal law and to resolve state disputes. Additionally, the Supreme Court not only resolves cases vital to the states, but it also does so in closely divided cases.
“We urge the Senate to carry out its responsibilities by allowing for full consideration of a qualified nominee to the Supreme Court and confirming such a nominee without unnecessary delay,” Harris said in the letter.