By Bob Allen / Baptist News Global
This is an abbreviated version of the story. For the full story, click here.
A Baptist church-state expert welcomed President Obama’s March 16 announcement of a nominee for a Supreme Court seat vacated by the death last month of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
In a Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday morning, the president announced his selection of Merrick Garland, chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, a centrist nominee likely to receive bipartisan support if the Senate moves forward with confirmation.
“The Baptist Joint Committee welcomes the announcement of the president’s nominee, which is the first step in restoring the Supreme Court to full strength,” BJC Executive Director Brent Walker said in a statement. “The Senate should hold hearings and provide an up-or-down vote on the nomination to fulfill its constitutional duties.”
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“The Baptist Joint Committee does not support or oppose judicial nominees but seeks to educate the public about the importance of the courts in upholding religious liberty,” Walker added March 16. “Judge Merrick Garland appears to be eminently qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. We look forward to reviewing Judge Garland’s record, particularly his participation in decisions and expressed views on religious liberty and the separation of church and state.”
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