WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) met privately with Chief Judge Merrick Garland, the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, for approximately an hour in his Washington office. Following the meeting, Senator King released the following statement:

            “I strongly believe the Senate has a Constitutional obligation to consider nominations to the Supreme Court, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

“Judge Garland and I had a very thoughtful and productive discussion that helped me better understand his judicial philosophy and his temperament, and that just simply helped me get to know him better as a person. We discussed a wide variety of issues, including regulatory overreach, executive authority, the Second Amendment, the politicization of the Supreme Court, and the importance of consensus-building.

“I was impressed by Judge Garland’s answers, the depth and breadth of his knowledge, his measured demeanor, and his respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, and precedent. He is very clearly an exceedingly intelligent, experienced, and well-informed man. And I found him to be what I call a ‘small c conservative’, meaning that he doesn’t consider his role to be one of an activist, and that was reassuring.

“The meeting also reaffirmed my strong belief that his nomination should receive full, fair, and open consideration from the Senate. Judge Garland has met with several senators and will be meeting with more today, and it occurred to me what’s really going on here is a slow-motion hearing without the public’s ability to participate and observe, which I think is too bad. I think what we ought to be doing is letting the public see Judge Garland, hear him answer questions, get an idea of his judicial philosophy, who he is, what his temperament and personality are, and that’s why I think a hearing would be so profitable.

“At the end of it all, Judge Garland and I also discussed history, the founding of this country, and what an extraordinary moment in time it was when our forefathers came together to create an amazing concept of government that has persisted to this day. When I was a kid, we referred to it as the ‘American experiment’ and to this very day it’s still an experiment. In the sweep of history, what we possess in America is unlike anything else – but it’s not self-executing. Democracy is not self-executing. It takes thoughtful, serious, capable, and responsible people with the temperament of quiet leadership to move this country forward. I hope we can summon that leadership to do the right thing for the American people and for the country and move this nomination forward.”

Senator King has consistently said that the President, regardless of political party, has a Constitutional obligation to nominate a candidate and that the Senate also has a constitutional obligation to give the nominee thoughtful consideration. In March, he spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to consider the nomination, emphasizing that no Senator had to vote in favor of the nominee, but that the Senate, as an institution, has a responsibility to at least consider the nomination.

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