Mar 10, 2016

Over 350 Law Professors Urge Senators to Fulfill Constitutional Duty

President Obama is vetting nominees for the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Republican Senate says it will not consider any nominee the president sends to the Senate.

Law professors across the nation have signed a letter calling for the Republican senators to "perform their constitutional duty."

The letter (below) is signed by 12 professors from the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School.

The petition was organized by the Alliance for Justice (AFJ). The AFJ's press release and letter to Senate leaders is reproduced below.

Washington, D.C.— In response to Republican promises to refuse to consider any Supreme Court nominee this year, 356 law professors and legal scholars have written a letter to the Senate leadership of both parties urging them “to fulfill your constitutional duty to give President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee a prompt and fair hearing and a timely vote.”

The professors, including some of the top constitutional experts in the country, such as Charles Ogletree, Kenji Yoshino, and Laurence Tribe, counter arguments made by Republican senators that the Senate has no obligation to consider the president’s nominee in an election year. The professors declare that,

“This preemptive abdication of duty is contrary to the process the framers envisioned in Article II, and threatens to diminish the integrity of our democratic institutions and the functioning of our constitutional government.

President Obama was elected to a four-year term in 2012. According to the Constitution, that term has more than 300 days remaining. There is no exception to the Constitution holding that the president lacks the authority or duty to appoint justices to the Supreme Court because he is in the last year of his presidency. In fact, six justices have been confirmed in presidential-election years since 1900, including Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo, and Republican-appointee Anthony Kennedy, who was confirmed by a Democratically-controlled Senate during President Ronald Reagan’s last year in office.”

The scholars also share the concern of many legal observers who fear the consequences of a deeply divided and incomplete Court during a period of significant constitutional uncertainty. They conclude by declaring that, “The Senate must not defeat the intention of the Framers by failing to perform its constitutional duty. The Senate Judiciary Committee should hold a prompt and fair hearing and the full Senate should hold a timely vote on the president’s nominee.”

The letter is reproduced directly below:

Hon. Mitch McConnell                      Hon. Charles Grassley
U.S. Senate Majority Leader            Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
317 Russell Senate Office Building  135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                     Washington, DC 20510

Hon. Harry Reid                             Hon. Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senate Minority Leader          Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
522 Hart Senate Office Building    437 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                  Washington, DC 20510

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, Minority Leader Harry Reid, and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy: 

As scholars deeply committed to the fair administration of justice, upholding the rule of law, and educating future generations of the legal profession, the undersigned professors of law urge you to fulfill your constitutional duty to give President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee a prompt and fair hearing and a timely vote.

The Senate’s obligation in this circumstance is clear. Under Article II of the Constitution, the president “shall appoint . . . judges to the Supreme Court,” and the Senate’s role is to provide “advice and consent.” Yet before the president has even made a nomination to fill the current vacancy, a number of senators have announced that they will not perform their constitutional duty. Instead, they plan to withhold advice and consent until the next president is sworn in nearly a year from now. This preemptive abdication of duty is contrary to the process the framers envisioned in Article II, and threatens to diminish the integrity of our democratic institutions and the functioning of our constitutional government.

President Obama was elected to a four-year term in 2012. According to the Constitution, that term has more than 300 days remaining. There is no exception to the Constitution holding that the president lacks the authority or duty to appoint justices to the Supreme Court because he is in the last year of his presidency. In fact, six justices have been confirmed in presidential-election years since 1900, including Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo, and Republican-appointee Anthony Kennedy, who was confirmed by a Democratically-controlled Senate during President Ronald Reagan’s last year in office.

A long-term vacancy jeopardizes the Supreme Court’s ability to resolve disputed questions of federal law, causing uncertainty and hampering the administration of justice across the country. Typically, the Supreme Court resolves disagreement among the lower courts to establish national uniformity on important legal issues. But the Court fails in this essential function when eight sitting justices divide evenly 4-4, leaving the matter undecided or forcing reconsideration of it when the Court returns to full strength. If the Senate refuses to consider President Obama’s nominee, the potential for deadlock on major constitutional and statutory issues will persist for at least the better part of two terms.

The Senate must not defeat the intention of the Framers by failing to perform its constitutional duty. The Senate Judiciary Committee should hold a prompt and fair hearing and the full Senate should hold a timely vote on the president’s nominee.

Sincerely 1

The Undersigned

Cc: Members of the United States Senate

1 Organizational affiliation for all signatories is included for identification purposes only; individuals represent only themselves, not the institutions where they are teaching or other organizations in which they are active.

William Andreen         University of Alabama School of Law
Norman J. Singer        University of Alabama School of Law
Tiffany Murphy           University of Arkansas School of Law
Cyndi Nance               University of Arkansas School of Law
Susan Schneider        University of Arkansas School of Law
Paul Bender      Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Myles Lynk        Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Michal Belknap          California Western School of Law
Jessica Fink               California Western School of Law
Glenn C. Smith          California Western School of Law
Jan Stiglitz                 California Western School of Law
Marisa Cianciarulo     Chapman University School of Law
Theodore Seto             Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Barbara Babcock        Stanford Law School
Mark G. Kelman         Stanford Law School
Deborah Rhode          Stanford Law School
Marjorie Cohn             Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Julie Greenberg          Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Richard Winchester     Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Herma Kay                   UC Berkeley School of Law
Rose Cuison Villazor    UC Davis School of Law
Richard Frank               UC Davis School of Law
Lesley McAllister         UC Davis School of Law
Leticia Saucedo             UC Davis School of Law
Carol Izumi                    UC Hastings College of the Law
Alejandro Camacho       UC Irvine School of Law
Erwin Chemerinsky       UC Irvine School of Law
Catherine Fisk                UC Irvine School of Law
Carrie Menkel-Meadow UC Irvine School of Law
Richard Abel                   UCLA School of Law
Luz Herrera                     UCLA School of Law
Christine Littleton           UCLA School of Law
Joanna Schwartz             UCLA School of Law
Christina Chong               University of San Francisco School of Law
Tim Iglesias                      University of San Francisco School of Law
Richard Sakai                   University of San Francisco School of Law
Carol Wilson                    University of San Francisco School of Law
Rebecca Brown                University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Ariela J. Gross                  University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Gregory C. Keating          University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Raquel Aldana                  University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Michael S. Mireles           University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
John Cary Sims                University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Neil Cogan                       Whittier Law School
KK DuVivier                    University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Loftus Becker                   University of Connecticut School of Law
Sara Bronin                      University of Connecticut School of Law
Timothy Everett               University of Connecticut School of Law
Stephen Wizner               Yale Law School
Nancy Abramowitz           American University Washington College of Law
Wil Burns                          American University Washington College of Law
Brandon Butler                  American University Washington College of Law
Michael Carroll                 American University Washington College of Law
Angela Davis                     American University Washington College of Law
Christine Farley                 American University Washington College of Law
Sean Flynn                         American University Washington College of Law
John Heywood                   American University Washington College of Law
David Hunter                     American University Washington College of Law
Deena Hurwitz                   American University Washington College of Law
Peter Jaszi                          American University Washington College of Law
Elizabeth Keith                   American University Washington College of Law
Elliott Milstein                    American University Washington College of Law
Jennifer Mueller                  American University Washington College of Law
Victoria Phillips                  American University Washington College of Law
Jamie Raskin                       American University Washington College of Law
Ira P. Robbins                      American University Washington College of Law
Herman Schwartz                American University Washington College of Law
William Snape, III               American University Washington College of Law
William Yeomans                American University Washington College of Law
Hope Babcock                       Georgetown University Law Center
Peter Edelman                       Georgetown University Law Center
Susan Ross                            Georgetown University Law Center
Phyllis Goldfarb                   The George Washington University Law School
Cynthia Lee                          The George Washington University Law School
Susan Goldberg                    Widener University School of Law
David Hodas                         Widener University School of Law
Serena Williams                    Widener University School of Law
Rachel Deming                    Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
Markita D. Cooper             Florida A and M University College of Law
William D. Henslee            Florida A and M University College of Law
Nise Nekheba                     Florida A and M University College of Law
Kalyani Robbins                 Florida International University College of Law
Kathy Cerminara                     Nova Southeastern University Law Center
Olympia Duhart                       Nova Southeastern University Law Center
Michael Flynn                          Nova Southeastern University Law Center
Joseph D. Harbaugh                Nova Southeastern University Law Center
Joel Mintz                                Nova Southeastern University Law Center
Stuart Freeman                         Stetson University College of Law
Rebecca Trammell                   Stetson University College of Law
Mary Jane Angelo                         University of Florida, Levin College of Law
George Dawson                             University of Florida, Levin College of Law
Christine Klein                               University of Florida, Levin College of Law
David Abraham                              University of Miami School of Law
Elizabeth Iglesias                            University of Miami School of Law
Helen de Haven                               Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
Martha Albertson Fineman             Emory University School of Law
Johan van der Vyver                        Emory University School of Law
Ellen Taylor                                     Georgia State University College of Law
Suzianne Painter-Thorne                  Mercer University School of Law
David T. Ritchie                               Mercer University School of Law
Scott Titshaw                                    Mercer University School of Law
Ronald Brown:     
- The University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law
Virginia E Hench: 
- The University of Hawaii at Manoa William S.Richardson School of Law
Charles Lawrence:
- The University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law
Mari Matsuda:       
- The University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law
Andrea Charlow                  Drake University Law School
Matthew Dore                     Drake University Law School
Mark Kende                        Drake University Law School
David McCord                    Drake University Law School
Nancy Hauserman               University of Iowa College of Law
Linda Kerber                       University of Iowa College of Law
James Macdonald                University of Idaho College of Law
Joan Steinman                     Chicago-Kent College of Law
Leonard Cavise                    DePaul University College of Law
Sumi Cho                             DePaul University College of Law
Ted Donner                          Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Allen Shoenberger               Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Marc Falkoff                        Northern Illinois University College of Law
Nancy C. Loeb                     Northwestern University School of Law
Sylvia Neil                           Northwestern University School of Law
Christopher T. Sheean          Northwestern University School of Law
Cliff Zimmerman                  Northwestern University School of Law
Patricia McCubbin                Southern Illinois University School of Law
Michael G. Heyman               The John Marshall Law School
Anthony Niedwiecki              The John Marshall Law School
Albert Alschuler                    University of Chicago Law School
Jennifer Drobac                      Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Carwina Weng                        Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Florence Roisman                  Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis
Joseph Bauer                           Notre Dame Law School
Rosalie Levinson                      Valparaiso University School of Law
Joyce Mccray Pearson              Kansas University School of Law
William Westerbeke                  Kansas University School of Law
Sharlene Boltz           Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Judith Fischer             University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Ariana Levison           University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Cedric Powell             University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Enid Trucios-Haynes  University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Lucy S. McGough                   Louisiana State University Law Center
M Isabel Medina                     Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Paul Barron                             Tulane University Law School
Mark Brodin                           Boston College Law School
Zygmunt Plater                       Boston College Law School
Ed Richards                            Boston College Law School
James Fleming                       Boston University School of Law
Linda McClain                       Boston University School of Law
Elizabeth Bartholet                Harvard Law School
Harris Freeman                      Harvard Law School
Daniel Halperin                      Harvard Law School
Charles J. Ogletree                 Harvard Law School
Richard Reibstein                   Harvard Law School
Laurence H. Tribe                   Harvard Law School
Lucie White                             Harvard Law School
Libby Adler                             Northeastern University School of Law
Kathleen Engel                      Suffolk University Law School
Christopher Gibson               Suffolk University Law School
Ilene Seidman                        Suffolk University Law School
David Yamada                       Suffolk University Law School
Andrew Leong                       University of Massachusetts School of Law
Matthew Charity                     Western New England University School of Law
Margaret E. Johnson               University of Baltimore School of Law
Douglas L. Colbert                  University of Maryland School of Law
Marley Weiss                           University of Maryland School of Law
Peter Pitegoff                           University of Maine School of Law
Sarah Schindler                        University of Maine School of Law
Hannah Brenner                        Michigan State University College of Law
Melanie Jacobs                          Michigan State University College of Law
Jacqueline Hand                            University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Alicia Alvarez                               University of Michigan Law School
Robert Hirshon                              University of Michigan Law School
Theodore J. St. Antoine                 University of Michigan Law School
David M. Uhlmann                        University of Michigan Law School
Christine Ver Ploeg                        Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Beverly Balos                                 University of Minnesota Law School
Mary Fellows                                  University of Minnesota Law School
Ed Butterfoss                                  William Mitchell College of Law
Sarah Deer                                      William Mitchell College of Law
Marie Failinger                               William Mitchell College of Law
Jada Fehn                                        William Mitchell College of Law
Derik Fettig                                     William Mitchell College of Law
Jim Hilbert                                      William Mitchell College of Law
Raleigh Levine                                William Mitchell College of Law
Denise Roy                                      William Mitchell College of Law
Anthony Winer                                William Mitchell College of Law
Jasmine Abdel-khalik                 University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Stanley Foreman                         University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Nancy Levit                                 University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Norman Plate                               University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Irma Russell                                 University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Daniel Weddle                              University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Barbara Wilson                             University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law
Jon Baris                                       Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Kelly Dineen                                 Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Robert Gatter                                 Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
William Johnson                            Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Peter Joy                                        Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Daniel Mandelker                          Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Elizabeth Pendo                              Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Karen Tokarz                                  Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Sidney Watson                                Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Judith Johnson                                   Mississippi College School of Law
John Bradley                                      University of Mississippi School of Law
Bari Burke                                          University of Montana School of Law
Katharine Bartlett                                     Duke Law School
Eric Fink                                                   Duke Law School
Michelle Nowlin                                       Duke Law School
Jane Wettach                                             Duke Law School
Maxine Eichner                                        University of North Carolina School of Law
Deborah M. Weissman                             University of North Carolina School of Law
Margaret Taylor                                        Wake Forest University School of Law
James Grijalva                                           University of North Dakota School of Law
Christine Venter                                         University of North Dakota School of Law
Susan Apel                                              University of New Hampshire School of Law
John Greabe                                            University of New Hampshire School of Law
Lucy Hodder                                           University of New Hampshire School of Law
Ann Freedman                                            Rutgers School of Law–Camden
Phillip Harvey                                             Rutgers School of Law–Newark
Alan Hyde                                                   Rutgers School of Law–Newark
David Troutt                                                Rutgers School of Law–Newark
Sanford Gaines                                            University of New Mexico School of Law
Margaret Montoya                                       University of New Mexico School of Law
Mary Berkheiser   William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Sara Gordon          William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Ann McGinley      William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Garcia Ruben        William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Keith Hitokawa                                Albany Law School
Nancy Ota                                        Albany Law School
David Rudenstine                             Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Ellen Yaroshefsky                             Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Elizabeth Schneider                          Brooklyn Law School
Beryl Blaustone                               City University of New York School of Law
Rebecca Bratspies                           City University of New York School of Law
Susan Bryant                                   City University of New York School of Law
Frank Deale                                     City University of New York School of Law
Pamela Edwards                              City University of New York School of Law
Raquel Gabriel                                 City University of New York School of Law
Julie Goldscheid                               City University of New York School of Law
Natalie Gomez-Velez                       City University of New York School of Law
Victor Goode                                    City University of New York School of Law
K. Babe Howell                                City University of New York School of Law
Stephen Loffredo                              City University of New York School of Law
Andrea McArdle                               City University of New York School of Law
Sherry Ramsey                                  City University of New York School of Law
Allie Robbins                                    City University of New York School of Law
Franklin Siegel                                 City University of New York School of Law
Nicole Smith                                     City University of New York School of Law
Steven Zeidman                                City University of New York School of Law
Stephen Zorn                                     City University of New York School of Law
Michael W. Doyle                                  Columbia Law School
Subha Narasimhan                                 Columbia Law School
Cynthia Bowman                                  Cornell University Law School
Angela Cornell                                      Cornell University Law School
Robert A. Hillman                                 Cornell University Law School
Mitchell Lassar                                      Cornell University Law School
Beth Lyon                                              Cornell University Law School
Martin Flaherty                                       Fordham University School of Law
Rachel Vorspan                                       Fordham University School of Law
Hillary Exter                                           Fordham University School of Law
Jennifer Gordon                                      Fordham University School of Law
Susan H. Joffe                                       Hofstra University Law School
Arthur Leonard                                     New York University School of Law
Carlin Meyer                                         New York University School of Law
Edward Purcell, jr.                                New York University School of Law
Kenji Yoshino                                      New York University School of Law
Margot Pollans                                       Pace Law School
Ann Powers                                            Pace Law School
David Driesen                                          Syracuse University College of Law
Paula Johnson                                           Syracuse University College of Law
Robert Rabin                                             Syracuse University College of Law
Eileen Kaufman                                          Touro Law Center, NY Law School
Richard Klein                                             Touro Law Center, NY Law School
Lucinda Finley                                           University at Buffalo Law School
Martha T. McCluskey                                    University at Buffalo Law School
Susan Looper-Friedman                                Capital University Law School
Roberta Mitchell                                            Capital University Law School
Juscelino Colares                                           Case Western Reserve University
Robert Strassfeld                                           Case Western Reserve University
April Cherry               Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Dena Davis                Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
James Lawrence                 The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
Joseph Stulberg                   The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
Dana Cole                             University of Akron School of Law
Howard Friedman                  University of Akron School of Law
Brant Lee                                University of Akron School of Law
Joseph Slater                           University of Akron School of Law
Verna Williams                       University of Cincinnati College of Law
Shannon Roesler                      Oklahoma City University School of Law
Marla Mansfield                      University of Tulsa College of Law
Paula Abrams                         Lewis and Clark Law School
Michael C. Blumm                 Lewis and Clark Law School
Kathy Hessler                        Lewis and Clark Law School
Ofer Raban                            University of Oregon School of Law
Dominick Vetri                       University of Oregon School of Law
Gilbert Paul Carrasco                Willamette University College of Law
Tabatha Abu El-Haj     Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Anil Kalhan                  Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Rona Kitchen                      Duquesne University School of Law
Victor Romero                    Pennsylvania State University
Craig Green                       Temple University Beasley School of Law
Nancy Knauer                   Temple University Beasley School of Law
Robert J. Reinstein            Temple University Beasley School of Law
David Sonenshein             Temple University Beasley School of Law
Howard F. Chang                University of Pennsylvania Law School
Robert N. Gorman               University of Pennsylvania Law School
Sarah Paoletti                       University of Pennsylvania Law School
Michael J. Yelnosky              Roger Williams University School of Law
Daniel Kiel                         University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
Fran Ansley                         University of Tennessee College of Law
Ellen Wright Clayton          Vanderbilt University Law School
Terry Maroney                    Vanderbilt University Law School
Patricia Wilson                       Baylor University Law School
Mark E. Steiner                     South Texas College of Law
John S. Lowe                    Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Jenia Turner                      Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
John Teeter                       St. Mary's School of Law
Michael Green                  Texas A and M University School of Law
Jensie L. Anderson              University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Alan Clarke                         University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Jorge Contreras                    University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Laura Kessler                      University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Clifford J. Rosky                  University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
John Ruple                            University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Linda Smith                           University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Debora Threedy                     University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Ann C. Hodges                       University of Richmond School of Law
Darryl Brown                           University of Virginia School of Law
Jonathan Cannon                     University of Virginia School of Law
Stanley Henderson                   University of Virginia School of Law
Corinna Lain                            University of Virginia School of Law
Mildred Wigfall Robinson       University of Virginia School of Law
J.H. (Rip) Verkerke                   University of Virginia School of Law
Thomas R. White, 3rd               University of Virginia School of Law
Liz Ryan Cole                           Vermont Law School
Stephanie Farrior                      Vermont Law School
Jessica Scott                              Vermont Law School
Joan Vogel                                 Vermont Law School
Mary Pat Treuthart                       Gonzaga University School of Law
Steven Bender                              Seattle University School of Law
Carmen Gonzalez                         Seattle University School of Law
Henry W. McGee, Jr.                    Seattle University School of Law
Madeline Kass                               Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Robert H. Aronson                          University of Washington School of Law
Susan Bay                                        Marquette University Law School
Ed Fallone                                        Marquette University Law School
Jay Gold                                           Marquette University Law School
Harvey Kurtz                                    Marquette University Law School
Lisa Mazzie                                       Marquette University Law School
Richard Reider                                  Marquette University Law School
Paul Secunda                                     Marquette University Law School
Craig Fieschko                                   University of Wisconsin Law School
Ted Finman                                         University of Wisconsin Law School
Margaret Maroney                              University of Wisconsin Law School
Thomas Mitchell                                University of Wisconsin Law School
Alan Jay Weisbard                             University of Wisconsin Law School
David Janes                                        West Virginia University College of Law
Michael Duff                                      University of Wyoming College of Law

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