7 GOP senators voted to confirm Merrick Garland in 1997

Some SCOTUS flip-flopping?
(Image credit: SHAWN THEW/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama has had his work cut out for him in choosing a Supreme Court nominee that might satisfy Senate Republicans, who have vowed to deny any pick sent from the current president. However, that might be awkward for seven sitting GOP senators who voted to confirm Garland in 1997. Dan Coats (Ind.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), Orrin Hatch (Utah), James M. Inhofe (Okla.), John McCain (Ariz.), and Pat Roberts (Kan.) have all thrown their weight behind Garland before.

Yet just because they once voted for Garland doesn't mean they will again:

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.