After a meeting Tuesday with Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland. U.S. Sen. John Boozman said his position remains “firm” on filling the vacancy after President Barack Obama leaves office.
In a statement, the Republican senator from Arkansas reiterated his view that “Americans deserve a voice on the future direction of the Supreme Court,” adding that he will not support hearings or a vote until after this year's presidential election.
“I strongly disagree with President Obama’s contention that the Senate must rubber-stamp his nominee in the final year of his presidency,” Boozman said.
Boozman said that his decision to meet with Garland came with a belief that “we can disagree without being disagreeable.”
“During our meeting I conveyed to Judge Garland my position, which is that the next president should fill the vacancy,” he said.
Boozman was one of more than 10 Republicans in the U.S. Senate to agree to a meeting with Garland, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of two GOP senators calling for hearings on Garland's nomination, met earlier Tuesday with the Supreme Court pick, according to The Associated Press.
"He has a humility about him," Collins said immediately after the meeting. "He has clearly thought very deeply about the issues confronting the courts, there was not any question he could not handle, and he has a long record of accomplishment."
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has also called for hearings on filling the justice seat previously held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.