['< 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 / 1 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 >']