White House: No Supreme Court pick from Obama this week
The White House said Sunday that President Obama will not "rush" to make a decision this week regarding who he will nominate to the Supreme Court to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
"As the President said last night, he takes his constitutional responsibility seriously and will approach this nomination with the time and rigor required," Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement. "Given that the Senate is currently in recess, we don't expect the President to rush this through this week, but instead will do so in due time once the Senate returns from their recess."
"At that point, we expect the Senate to consider that nominee, consistent with their responsibilities laid out in the United States Constitution," Schultz said.
Addressing Scalia's death Saturday, the president said he planned to nominate a successor despite a pledge from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, not to consider any nomination until a new president is elected.
"I plan to fulfill my Constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote," Mr. Obama said. "These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone. They are bigger than any one party; they are about our democracy. They're about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned."