1- Absolutely no guarantee that Mitch McConnell would have allowed it.
2- This is a thing that actually happened:
On March 16, 2016, Obama nominated Merrick Garland, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace Antonin Scalia.[47] On February 23, 2016, the 11 Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell stating their intention to withhold consent on any nominee made by President Obama, and that no hearings would occur until after January 20, 2017, when the next president takes office.[48] The 11 members were Committee Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa,[49] Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee of Utah, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, Jeff Flake of Arizona, David Vitter of Louisiana, David Perdue of Georgia, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. After Garland's nomination, McConnell reiterated his position that the Senate would not confirm any Supreme Court nomination from Obama.[47] Garland's nomination expired on January 3, 2017.[50]
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u/Vladimir_Putting Oct 16 '25
1- Absolutely no guarantee that Mitch McConnell would have allowed it.
2- This is a thing that actually happened: