General Discussion

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton rebuked Senate Republicans on Monday for denying a hearing to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, accusing them of obstructionism, and warned of dangers if Donald Trump appointed the next justice.

In a speech in Wisconsin, Clinton put the future of the Supreme Court at the center of the election debate, cautioning that any Trump-appointed justices would be likely to roll back workers’ and abortion rights and “demolish pillars of the progressive movement.”

Hillary Clinton condemned Thursday's Supreme Court deadlock that blocked President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration, calling the decision "unacceptable."
She added that the ruling showed "us all just how high the stakes are in this election."

"As I have consistently said, I believe that President Obama acted well within his constitutional and legal authority in issuing the DAPA [Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents] and DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] executive actions," she said in a statement.

"These are our friends and family members; neighbors and classmates; DREAMers and parents of Americans and lawful permanent residents. They enrich our communities and contribute to our economy every day. We should be doing everything possible under the law to provide them relief from the specter of deportation."

WASHINGTON — Under Donald Trump's Supreme Court, federal abortion rights would disappear "automatically." Gun control restrictions would be frowned upon. Justices would put the Constitution first, in the mold of the late Antonin Scalia.

Under Hillary Clinton's Supreme Court, potential nominees would be vetted for their views on court precedents, such as the Citizens United decision that allowed corporations to spend freely on elections. But she might have one less nomination to make, having urged the Senate to confirm President Obama's choice for Scalia's replacement.

Those alternate legal universes emerged Thursday from liberal and conservative analyses of Wednesday night's presidential debate, when the two candidates held their most detailed discussion to date about the future of the high court.

The upshot: Trump's list of 21 potential nominees to replace Scalia and fill any future vacancies is far more specific than Clinton's, who cannot bring herself even to cite federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland by name. She endorsed him only as "the nominee that President Obama has sent" to the Senate.