Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings: Engaging the American People in the Process

In the last 100 years, the Senate has provided an open process for considering Supreme Court nominees with a hearing and a vote. Public confirmation hearings through which the American public meets and assesses the nominee are a particularly important aspect of the process. On Tuesday, March 15, a panel of experts discussed the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent and why it is important that the next Supreme Court nominee receive an open confirmation hearing where significant issues of our constitutional democracy are discussed.

Featured Remarks:

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Panlists:

• Norman J. Ornstein (moderator), Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
• Dahlia Lithwick, Supreme Court Correspondent, Slate
• Garrett Epps, Contributing Editor, The Atlantic and Professor of Constitutional Law and Creative Writing, University of Baltimore
• Kim Atkins, Chief Washington Reporter and Columnist, Boston Herald