Senators Rejoin Supreme Court Battle After Recess

Senators Rejoin Supreme¹ Court Battle After Recess²

The partisan³ tug-of-war over a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy⁴ will overshadow Congress when the Senate gets back to work Monday after a two-week recess.

The battle simmered last week even as Capitol Hill was idle. Three senators journeyed to Washington to meet with President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee⁵, Merrick Garland. Most notable was Mark Kirk, the first – and so far only – Republican to sit down with federal appellate judge.

“As the president put forward Judge Garland, we should give him advice and consent,” said Kirk, who is running for re-election in Democratic-leaning Illinois. “We need rational, adult, open-minded consideration of the constitutional process.”

While more than a dozen other Republicans say they are willing to meet with Garland, only two are urging Senate consideration of the nomination⁷. A third, Jerry Moran, called for hearings, then reversed himself two days later.

In initially⁸ breaking ranks with fellow-Republicans, Moran was pilloried⁹ by conservatives who form the base of his party. The episode illustrates¹⁰ the stakes involved for activists¹¹ across the political spectrum¹² in filling the seat left open by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

Democrats¹³, meanwhile, stand united behind Garland.

"He is someone who is highly qualified,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who met Wednesday with Garland. “And I think it is the obligation of the Senate to not only have a hearing, but to vote on his nomination.”

“We’re confirming, or deciding whether to confirm a member if the Supreme Court,” said Democrat⁶ Al Franken. “The Supreme Court should not be political.”

But Republicans control the Senate. Unless they budge¹⁵, Garland will remain in limbo¹⁶.

“Let’s let the American people decide,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell before the recess. “The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee the next president nominates, whoever that might be.”

The high court’s make-up and ideological¹⁷ center of gravity are issues in the presidential contest.

“If Hillary [Clinton] is the next president, the Supreme Court is lost for a generation, and the Bill of Rights is lost,” said Republican contender Ted¹⁴ Cruz at a recent campaign stop.

Opinion polls show majority backing for full Senate consideration of Garland. Democrats believe Republicans will bow to the public’s will or suffer at the ballot¹⁸ box in November. Whatever the political calculations, the vast majority of Republican senators are holding firm.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

3 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

4 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 pilloried   

v.使受公众嘲笑( pillory的过去式和过去分词 )；将…示众；给…上颈手枷；处…以枷刑

参考例句：

• He was regularly pilloried by the press for his radical ideas. 他因观点极端而经常受到新闻界的抨击。
• He was pilloried, but she escaped without blemish. 他受到公众的批评，她却名声未损地得以逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

13 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

15 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

16 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

17 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

18 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。