During Sunday night’s debate, Ms Clinton suggested that she would likely eschew Big Law heavyweights in favour of those with ‘real life experiences’ when considering candidates for the Supreme Court. ‘I want to appoint Supreme Court justices who understand the way the world really works, who have real life experiences, who have not just been in a big law firm and maybe clerked for a judge and then gotten on the bench, but maybe they tried more cases,’ Ms Clinton said.

Looking for diversity

Ms Clinton chastised the Republican-led Senate for failing to ‘do its job’ by blocking a vote on Mr Garland’s nomination, but stopped short of mentioning Mr Garland by name or confirming that she would re-nominate him herself if elected to the Oval Office in November. However, Ms Clinton did emphasise that she would move to fill the SCOTUS vacancy as quickly as possible if elected, and would look ‘broadly and widely’ for candidates who reflect the diversity of the US population.

Critical issue

The question of SCOTUS judgeships has become a defining issue throughout the US presidential election as the Senate has failed to confirm incumbent President Barack Obama’s own nominee, Merrick Garland, to the nation’s highest court. As a result, the next president will likely be responsible for filling the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, with the left-right majority of the bench hanging in the balance. Any other vacancies that may arise in the next four to eight years will also be at the discretion of the new president to fill.

Sources: Law.com; Huffington Post