Boozman: Still opposed to filling court seat despite meeting

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Republican Sen. John Boozman said Friday he remains opposed to filling the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court this year, despite plans to meet with President Barack Obama’s pick for the high court next week.

The Arkansas lawmaker said his sit-down with federal appeals Judge Merrick Garland on Tuesday isn’t a sign that he’s softening his opposition to considering the nomination before a new president takes office. Boozman and other GOP lawmakers say the next president should choose the next justice. Obama insists the Senate has a constitutional responsibility and plenty of time to consider Garland.

“In 2014, (voters) elected a Republican Senate as a check and balance,” Boozman told reporters after speaking to the Political Animals Club in Little Rock. “Right now, the vast majority of Republicans don’t feel like we should consent to the nomination, which is certainly within our ability to do so.”

Garland has met with mostly Democratic senators on Capitol Hill, though some GOP lawmakers have expressed a willingness to at least meet with Garland. Boozman said he planned to explain Republicans’ opposition to filling the nomination.

Boozman was first elected in 2010 and is running for re-election this fall against Democrat Conner Eldridge, a former federal prosecutor who has criticized the Republican lawmaker’s stance on the Garland nomination. Arkansas’ other Republican senator, Tom Cotton, has also said he’s opposed to considering Garland this year.

Eldridge on Friday repeated his call to consider Garland’s nomination, saying both parties should work promptly to fill the vacancy.

“Sen. Boozman and Washington continue to refuse to do their jobs,” he said in a statement. “The Constitution is clear: the Senate should advise and consent, fully vet Judge Garland on behalf of the American public, and then give him an up-or-down vote.”

Boozman said he views Garland, the chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as too liberal, accusing the judge of siding too often with federal agencies. He also said he was concerned about Garland’s past decisions on gun rights issues.

“I consider him a reliable fifth vote” for liberals on the court, Boozman said.

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