WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement about the Majority Leader’s threat to invoke the so-called nuclear option on judicial nominations.
“It appears the Majority Leader is now trying to convince his caucus that somehow he’d be able to change the rules on judicial nominees, but limit the change to only lower court nominees. This is a difference without a distinction. If he changes the rules for some judicial nominees, he is effectively changing them for all judicial nominees, including the Supreme Court. Apparently the other side wants to change the rules while still preserving the ability to block a Republican President’s ability to replace a liberal Supreme Court Justice with an originalist.
“I find it hard to believe members of the Majority Leader’s caucus would actually believe they could change the rules on lower court nominees, and then turn around and filibuster a future Republican President’s Supreme Court nominee.”
