Schools
Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland Will Give Niles West HS Graduation Speech (VIDEO)
Garland will return to his alma mater May 29 to deliver the commencement speech for the school.
Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, will speak at this month's graduation ceremony for Niles West High School, his alma mater, the school announced Thursday.
Garland, who graduated in 1970, will deliver the commencement address for the Class of 2016 on May 29 at Basrak Field in Skokie, according to the school, which broke the news on its web page and the Niles West News student-run website.
Watch Niles West High School Principal Jason Ness Make the Announcement on the Niles West News Show
Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Principal Jason Ness, who made the announcement on the Niles West News Show, suggested asking Garland—a Lincolnwood native and current chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit—to speak at graduation. In fact, Ness characterized his idea as a "Hail Mary pass." But Garland was receptive to the idea.
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"He couldn’t be more genuine, more humble,” Ness said on the school website. “He indicated how honored he was to even be asked. He accepted the offer and was really excited about it.”
Garland's attendance also marks the first time the school has had a distinguished speaker at commencement, according to Ness.
Since Obama nominated him in March to fill the vacancy left by the death of Chief Justice Antonin Scalia, Garland has been at the center of a partisan game of chicken. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has staunchly refused to convene hearings to evaluate Garland and vote on his nomination. GOP leadership also has refused to meet with the nominee in any capacity.
The lone exception has been Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, who met with Garland in late March. In fact, their one-on-one drew Kirk a thank-you note from the president.
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