POWER STRUGGLE

Senate Won’t Consider Obama SCOTUS Pick

Refuses to hold hearings or vote before election.

Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday announced they would refuse to hold hearings or vote on any nominee put forth by President Barack Obama to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia until after the next president takes office. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell added he would not meet with whomever Obama selects. Scalia’s death on Feb. 13 launched a GOP debate over whether Obama should be permitted to fill the vacancy, potentially shifting the court’s ideological balance. Scalia’s death has left the court with four liberal and four conservatives. The Obama administration and Senate Democrats denounced the decision, with Democratic Leader Harry Reid called it “obstruction on steroids.”