After Meeting With Him, Nelson Says Supreme Court Nominee Garland Is Man For Job

WFSU | By Sascha Cordner

Published April 28, 2016 at 5:42 PM EDT

Judge Merrick Garland (left), Obama's nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, met with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) Wednesday.

Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson says after meeting President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, he’s backing him.

On Wednesday, Nelson met with Merrick Garland, a chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In a statement, Nelson says Garland is “qualified, and should be confirmed as soon as possible.” But, the Republican-led Senate has yet to reconsider its position to not take up the nomination. Back in February, Nelson told reporters that’s not right.

“That’s not how the constitution works,” said Nelson, at the time. “So, I think it’s a very serious constitutional responsibility that I take seriously to record a vote on a presidential nominee for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, has supported the position to let the next President decide the nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Rubio has said while he’s more than willing to meet with anyone, he sees no point in meeting with Garland. Still, Garland has met with a number of Congressmen and women already, including some Republicans.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner .