It's Tuesday, April 12 and Day 59 since Justice Antonin Scalia died and Mitch McConnell laid down his Supreme Court blockade: No meetings, no hearings, no votes on his replacement. It's Day 27 since President Obama named Merrick Garland to be Scalia's replacement. So what does the Senate have on tap for today? Not much. After a flurry of one whole confirmation vote yesterday, they're taking a breather.
On today's agenda, lots of speeches about Equal Pay Day, the regular Tuesday lunches and caucus meetings, and then more debate and possibly an amendment on the Federal Aviation Authorization bill, which has been going on nearly as long as Garland has been waiting.
Some more chinks are appearing, however, in Mitch McConnell's blockade of no meetings, no hearings, no votes. A few Republicans are meeting with Garland this week, including vulnerable Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Of course, both will take pains to explain to their constituents and the press after those meetings that the sole purpose of doing it was to explain to Judge Garland that they have principles now, that you can't approve Supreme Court justices in an election year until "the people have spoken," and that this isn't at all a political thing. Just how they roll.
Judge Garland will surely feel illuminated by their "principles."