Mark Kirk becomes first Republican senator to meet with Merrick Garland

Merrick Garland and Sen. Mark Kirk.
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Mark Kirk became the first Republican senator to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

The senator from Illinois called Garland a "brilliant" legal mind, and said he was "one of the most eminent jurists in the country." The Republicans who are blocking the nomination until after the presidential election and won't meet with Garland are "too closed-minded," Kirk said, and "by leading by example, I'm showing what a rational, responsible guy would do that really wants the constitutional process to go forward."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.