Obama nominates Merrick Garland for high court

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President Barack Obama nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court (all times local):

11:10 a.m.

President Barack Obama says federal appellate judge Merrick Garland would bring a spirit of modesty, integrity and even-handedness to the Supreme Court.

Obama is announcing that he’s nominating Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. He says Garland is widely recognized for his excellence. He’s pointing to Garland’s experience as a law clerk, a prosecutor and as chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Obama says he went through a rigorous and comprehensive process to pick his nominee. He says he sought to set aside short-term expediency and “narrow politics.”

The president says he reached out to every member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to seek advice about the nomination.

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11:00 a.m.

Republicans are holding firm against letting President Barack Obama pick the next Supreme Court justice after learning that Obama is nominating federal appellate judge Merrick Garland.

Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts says even though he voted for Garland when he was first confirmed in 1997, he’s opposed now. He says it’s not about the nominee, but about the process.

Roberts says Garland “may very well be a very good nominee.” Still, he says the American people should decide and not Obama.

Senate Republicans have insisted for weeks that they won’t hold hearings or a confirmation vote on Obama’s pick. Some Republicans have even said they’d refuse to meet with Obama’s nominee.

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10:15 a.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama is nominating federal appellate judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court because nobody is better suited to serve immediately.

Obama plans to announce his nomination on Wednesday morning in the Rose Garden. Garland is the chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and would replace the late Antonin Scalia.

The White House says Garland has more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history, and that he’s known for building consensus.

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