DNC Chair Statement on President Obama’s Visit to the University of Chicago Law School

Later today, President Obama will be returning to the University of Chicago Law School, where he taught constitutional law for more than a decade, to talk about the Senate’s constitutional duty to give Chief Judge Merrick Garland a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote.

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement in advance of the president’s visit:

“When we’re elected to serve the people of our states, members of Congress in both the House and Senate take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Republicans in the Senate are failing to live up to that oath with their obstruction of the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, and a majority of Americans want them to stop, with more than 7 in 10 acknowledging that the delay is driven by partisan politics and not what’s best for our country. Chief Judge Merrick Garland has more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history, he deserves a fair hearing and an up or down vote. Today’s visit by the President to the University of Chicago Law School is a reminder that our country and our democracy depend on the rule of law, and it is time that Republicans in the Senate stop hiding from their constituentsstop refusing to take calls from the people they represent and stop denying Chief Judge Garland serious meetings and consideration.”