Responding to your message (from the Senator)

Dear ,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the current vacancy on the United States Supreme Court. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me on this important issue. 

As you know, we are in the midst of a presidential election and a vigorous debate within both political parties on the direction of the country. With the election less than eight months away, I believe the best thing for the country is to trust the American people to weigh in on who should make a lifetime appointment that could reshape the Supreme Court for generations.  

It is common practice for the Senate to stop acting on lifetime appointments during the last year of a presidential term, and it's been nearly 80 years since any president was permitted to immediately fill a vacancy that arose in a presidential election year. I have supported some of President Obama's federal court nominees and opposed others, based on their qualifications. Whether the next president is a Republican or Democrat, I will judge any nominee on the merits, as I always have.

I also wanted to share with you my recent op-ed on the best way to replace Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court. The full op-ed can be found here.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. For more information, you can visit my website at www.portman.senate.gov. Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,
Rob Portman
U.S. Senator