<sod>On February 13, 2016, Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] died.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/politics/three-more-judges-said-to-be-vetted-for-supreme-court.html |title=Three More Judges Said to be Vetted for Supreme Court |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> The next day, Senate Republicans led by Majority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] issued a statement that they would not consider any nominee put forth by Obama, saying that a Supreme Court nomination should be left to the next President.<ref name="politico160213">{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/mitch-mcconnell-antonin-scalia-supreme-court-nomination-219248|title=McConnell throws down the gauntlet: No Scalia replacement under Obama|date=February 13, 2016|newspaper=Politico}}</ref><ref>Jonathan Chait, [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/senate-court-blockade-has-never-happened-before.html No, the Senate's Supreme Court Blockade Has Never Happened in American History], ''New York'' (February 23, 2016).</ref><ref>Michael McAuliff & Jennifer Bendery, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-supreme-court-blockade_us_56e1a57fe4b065e2e3d504b4 Republican Admits Supreme Court Blockade Is Unprecedented], ''Huffington Post'' (March 10, 2016).</ref><ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/03/10/letter-experts-president-supreme-court-nominee Letter from the Experts: The President's Supreme Court Nominee Deserves a Chance] (March 10, 2016).</ref> Nonetheless, on March 4, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that Garland was being vetted by the Obama administration as a potential nominee. A week later, Garland was named as one of three judges on the President's "short list" (along with Judge [[Sri Srinivasan]], also of the D.C. Circuit, and Judge [[Paul J. Watford]] of the Ninth Circuit). Obama interviewed all three leading contenders, as well as two others who were considered: Judge [[Jane L. Kelly]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|Eighth Circuit]] and Judge [[Ketanji Brown Jackson]] of the [[U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]].<ref>[[Nina Totenberg]], [http://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/469722360/president-obama-meets-with-supreme-court-candidates President Obama Meets With Supreme Court Candidates], NPR (March 8, 2016).</ref> On March 16, Obama formally nominated Garland.<ref name="NYTAnnouncement">{{Cite news|first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Gardiner |last2=Harris|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html|title=Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court|date=March 16, 2016|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|authors=Juliet Eilperin, Mike DeBonis and Jerry Markon|title=President Obama nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court|newspaper=Washington Post |date=March 16, 2016 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/president-obama-to-nominate-merrick-garland-to-the-supreme-court-sources-say/2016/03/16/3bc90bc8-eb7c-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html }}</ref> The president's nomination of Garland, the ''New York Times'' reported, effectively "dar[ed] Republican senators to refuse consideration of a jurist who is highly regarded throughout Washington."<ref name="NYTAnnouncement" /><eod>
<sod>On February 13, 2016, Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] died.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/politics/three-more-judges-said-to-be-vetted-for-supreme-court.html |title=Three More Judges Said to be Vetted for Supreme Court |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> The next day, Senate Republicans led by Majority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] issued an unprecedented statement that they would not consider any nominee put forth by Obama, saying that a Supreme Court nomination should be left to the next President.<ref name="politico160213">{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/mitch-mcconnell-antonin-scalia-supreme-court-nomination-219248|title=McConnell throws down the gauntlet: No Scalia replacement under Obama|date=February 13, 2016|newspaper=Politico}}</ref><ref>Jonathan Chait, [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/senate-court-blockade-has-never-happened-before.html No, the Senate's Supreme Court Blockade Has Never Happened in American History], ''New York'' (February 23, 2016).</ref><ref>Michael McAuliff & Jennifer Bendery, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-supreme-court-blockade_us_56e1a57fe4b065e2e3d504b4 Republican Admits Supreme Court Blockade Is Unprecedented], ''Huffington Post'' (March 10, 2016).</ref><ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/03/10/letter-experts-president-supreme-court-nominee Letter from the Experts: The President's Supreme Court Nominee Deserves a Chance] (March 10, 2016).</ref> Nonetheless, on March 4, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that Garland was being vetted by the Obama administration as a potential nominee. A week later, Garland was named as one of three judges on the President's "short list" (along with Judge [[Sri Srinivasan]], also of the D.C. Circuit, and Judge [[Paul J. Watford]] of the Ninth Circuit). Obama interviewed all three leading contenders, as well as two others who were considered: Judge [[Jane L. Kelly]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|Eighth Circuit]] and Judge [[Ketanji Brown Jackson]] of the [[U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]].<ref>[[Nina Totenberg]], [http://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/469722360/president-obama-meets-with-supreme-court-candidates President Obama Meets With Supreme Court Candidates], NPR (March 8, 2016).</ref> On March 16, Obama formally nominated Garland.<ref name="NYTAnnouncement">{{Cite news|first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Gardiner |last2=Harris|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html|title=Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court|date=March 16, 2016|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|authors=Juliet Eilperin, Mike DeBonis and Jerry Markon|title=President Obama nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court|newspaper=Washington Post |date=March 16, 2016 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/president-obama-to-nominate-merrick-garland-to-the-supreme-court-sources-say/2016/03/16/3bc90bc8-eb7c-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html }}</ref> The president's nomination of Garland, the ''New York Times'' reported, effectively "dar[ed] Republican senators to refuse consideration of a jurist who is highly regarded throughout Washington."<ref name="NYTAnnouncement" /><eod>