04.21.16

Hoeven Statement Following Meeting with President Obama's Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today met with Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

“After meeting with Judge Merrick Garland, my position has not changed. Although I respect him as an individual, I do not support his confirmation. I have serious concerns about his record on Second Amendment rights and his support for President Obama’s regulatory agenda, which will hurt farmers, ranchers, energy workers and small businesses in North Dakota and across our nation.

“That’s a vitally important consideration because right now, challenges to the Obama administration’s regulatory agenda are pending in the lower courts and headed to the Supreme Court. If upheld, these rules and executive actions would profoundly hurt North Dakota’s future.”

• Waters of the U.S., for example, will deprive farmers and ranchers of the full use of their land and undermine their private property rights. It is likely that this rule will also make it virtually impossible to build important infrastructure projects like the Red River Valley Water Supply line.
• The Obama Administration’s costly new federal energy regulations like the president’s new CO2 rules will force us to close power plants in North Dakota and drive up the cost of electricity for consumers and businesses.
• New regulations on small business will drive up their costs and the costs of goods and services to consumers. In fact, for the first time in its 73 year history, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the leading national group representing small businesses across the country, has decided to oppose this candidate for the Supreme Court.
• Judge Garland’s record on Second Amendment rights is also concerning. In certain key cases, for example, Justice Garland’s decisions reflected a willingness to support a gun registry and also to limit the Second Amendment right of individuals to keep a firearm in their home for self-defense.

“Ultimately, I must do what’s best for our state, and based on his judicial record and our meeting today, I believe Judge Garland will make decisions counter to North Dakota’s interests and I cannot support his confirmation,” Hoeven said.

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