GOP Prepping To Filibuster Obama’s Upcoming SCOTUS Nominee “Insert Name Here”

by Thomas Wellborn

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) tells Fox News that the person President Obama nominates to replace Supreme Court Justice John Paul Steven (should he retire this summer) may face a filibuster.

CHRIS WALLACE: [A]re you willing to pledge right now that the GOP will not filibuster whoever the president nominates?

SENATOR KYL: It would – fit will all depend on what kind of a person it is. […]

I want a judge who will read the law and declare it in each case that comes before him or her as it should be – in other words, don’t have somebody coming in with preconceived attitudes – I’m going to be tough on the executive, or, I’m going to be for the little guy, or whatever their preconceived attitudes are. We’ve had too much of that. […]

I think the president will nominate a qualified person. I hope, however, he does not nominate an overly ideological person. That will be the test. And if he doesn’t nominate someone who is overly ideological, I don’t think – you may see Republicans voting against the nominee, but I don’t think you’ll see them engage in a filibuster.

…

WALLACE: It’s never been the case until the last two years that a minority could dictate to the majority what they could do.

KYL: I would prefer to go back to the situation where it is not done by either party, but the Democrats won that fight. They filibustered Miguel Estrada. He never got on the court. Seven other circuit nominees. So what we need to do is, I think, apply the rule that the Gang of 14 game up with a couple years ago that you don’t filibuster except in extraordinary circumstances, and I’m willing to live by that general rule.

A big fan of the filibuster today, Kyl had a much different opinion of the filibuster when Republicans were the majority.  He even went so far as to stump for putting a stop to filibustering of judicial nominees.  Barack Obama’s presidency has obviously changed Mr. Kyl’s filibustering views.

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