Obama Nominates Lincolnwood Native Merrick Garland to United States Supreme Court

President Barack Obama nominated a Lincolnwood native and Niles West High School graduate to replace Antonin Scalia on the Unites States Supreme Court Wednesday morning at the White House.

Merrick Garland has been a federal appeals court judge in Washington, D.C. since 1997 who has prosecuted high profile cases such as the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and the Unabomber. He is currently chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“His qualities and long participation in public service make him uniquely prepared to serve immediately,” Obama said while introducing Garland at the White House Rose Garden. “He has brought diligence, passion to the second highest court in the land and has built a track record of being a thoughtful, fair-minded judge who follows the law.”

Garland grew up in Lincolnwood and graduated from Niles West, where he was Valedictorian in 1970. He went on to enroll in Harvard Law School, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

"This is the greatest honor of my life," Garland said Wednesday. "It is a great privilege to be nominated by a fellow Chicagoan."

The 63-year-old was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in 1997. Before that, as an assistant federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office, he worked on the drug case against Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry, supervised the Unabomber prosecution and the probe of the 1996 Olympics bombing.

Despite Obama’s praise of Garland, Wednesday’s nomination could spark months of turmoil over the pick since Republicans have control of the U.S. Senate and some have vowed to fight the selection no matter who it would be.

But while recognizing the political season “never ends,” Obama says the Garland pick should be lauded by both parties.

“In my seven years as president, in all my conversations with both parties, the one name that comes up repeatedly from Democrats and Republicans alike is Merrick Garland,” he said.

SCOTUSblog live blog of president's announcement