An initial review of President Obama’s selection of Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court raises grave concerns at a time when religious liberty is under assault and when the stakes in the fight for the unborn have never been higher. Catholics have special cause for concern at his vote to deny a rehearing to the Priests for Life in their lawsuit against the HHS mandate. Despite opposition from Garland, that case moved forward and now sits alongside the case brought by the Little Sisters of the Poor before the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the high praise from the CEO of Planned Parenthood raises major red flags, but is unsurprising given the president’s extreme position on the issue of abortion and given that Garland himself called the author of Roe v. Wade “a great gift to the country.” We support the Senate in its right  to withhold consent on such a concerning nominee and to let the American people, already casting votes in a very divisive and contentious election, decide who should replace Justice Scalia and thereby shape the direction of the Court for decades to come.

Ashley McGuire
Senior Fellow with The Catholic Association