Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland to Set Record for Senate Inaction, Still No Confirmation Hearing

Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland is about to set an unwanted record on Wednesday by reaching the longest time to be nominated to the court without Senate action, because Republicans who control the Senate refuse to schedule a confirmation hearing or a vote.

On Wednesday, it will be 126 days since President Barack Obama nominated the Washington, D.C., appeals court judge to the court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February.

Garland on Tuesday tied Justice Louis Brandies, America's first Jewish justice, whose confirmation took 125 days in 1916.

The White House pointed squarely at Republicans in the Senate, who are refusing to give Garland a hearing, much less a vote, saying, "Senate Republicans have now blocked President Obama's Supreme Court nominee for 125 days — longer than any in history."

The nomination, which has become a lightning rod, will likely go untouched because of the 2016 election cycle.

"Republicans are abandoning their role under the Constitution for a short-sighted and partisan political hope that the Republican candidate for president will win in November. The American people deserve better," said Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Here's a look at the longest waiting periods for a nominee:

[Photo credit: Matt Wade via Flickr Commons]