Merrick Garland still can't get a Senate hearing

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

last updated 2 February 2021

Judge Merrick Garland, President Biden's nominee for attorney general, is once again having trouble getting a Senate hearing.

Back in 2016, Garland was nominated by then-President Barack Obama for a seat on the Supreme Court, only to have Republican senators block a confirmation hearing, arguing a president shouldn't appoint a justice so close to an election. Ultimately, Garland lost his chance when former President Donald Trump took office and chose Justice Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacant spot.

After Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election, he tapped Garland to lead the Justice Department, and while it seems likely he'll be confirmed this time, the process has been slow. Republicans still control Senate committees, despite the slim Democratic majority, because the sides haven't reached an agreement on the organizing resolution. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), therefore, is accusing Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) of delaying Garland's hearing and has suggested he'll find a way to expedite it.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox