This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Wednesday, March 16, 2016.

I'm Caleb Brown.

President Obama has named the person that he would like to see replace Antonin and Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Merrick Garland, the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Contras Scalia, Garland is a defender of broad government power, and in particular, the police. So says Ilia Shapiro, editor particular the police.

So says Ilia Shapiro, editor of Cato's Supreme Court review.

Well, first of all, this is the most unusual Supreme Court vacancy nomination confirmation process not just of my lifetime

but in modern time since they started having hearings and kind of the

modern form of the process.

The Republicans have said, as we know,

from the beginning that there would be no hearings,

no votes, there will be no confirmation process

such as it is until after the election.

And so it's almost like this nomination is a stillborn

baby almost in a sense that this political position might change.

Merrick Garland himself, in any other circumstance, would easily be confirmed.

He's basically the best that Republicans from their perspective can hope for from a Democratic

president and indeed he was on the shortlist.

The two previous vacancies under Barack Obama when Justice Sotomayor and Kagan were selected and ultimately

confirmed.

And now I guess proving that a couple of times a bride's made, eventually you do become

a bride.

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