Could this Republican governor be Obama's SCOTUS nominee?


Despite the fact that Senate Republicans have vowed to not even hold hearings for any Obama nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died earlier this month, the president is forging ahead. The Washington Post reports that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) is being considered by the White House as a possible nominee to replace the late Scalia, who was the court's leading conservative voice.
But would the nomination of a moderate Republican like Sandoval change things for the Senate GOP? One Republican senator speaking off the record told The Washington Post that nominating Sandoval would "mix it up" for Republicans opposed to any Obama pick. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — a centrist like Sandoval who is opposed to her party's strategy of blocking any Obama nomination — told The Washington Post that a potential Sandoval nomination "is one reason why I have not wanted to shut the door on considering a nominee."
"We may well be sent a nominee who is deserving of thorough vetting and consideration," Collins added.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One individual who's signaled interest in a Sandoval nomination is the Nevada governor himself. Talking to The Morning Consult at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, Sandoval said being considered "would be a privilege" and that the Supreme Court "is the essence of justice in this country."
Despite all this buzz, a number of Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee are saying that even if Sandoval were to be given the nomination, it wouldn't change their minds. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) was rather blunt in his assessment: "The short answer is no, it doesn't change anything."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Benjamin Shull is an assistant books editor with The Wall Street Journal and a contributor to The Week. Follow him on Twitter.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges