Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 2-26-16 Edition

President Obama Reveals What He Is Looking For In Supreme Court Nominee
106-Year-Old’s Dream Came True As She Meets And Dances With The Obamas
The next justice of the Supreme Court will be an in- dependent thinker with a strong intellect and sterling credentials — if President Barack Obama gets his way.
President Obama, in a post published on the SCO- TUS blog website Wednes- day, revealed the characteristics he is looking for in a nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Feb. 13.
"First and foremost, the person I appoint will be em- inently qualified," Pres. Obama wrote. "He or she will have an independent mind, rigorous intellect, im- peccable credentials, and a record of excellence and in- tegrity. I'm looking for a mastery of the law, with an ability to hone in on the key issues before the Court, and provide clear answers to complex legal questions."
But, the President said, that same person would not sit on the court with the pur- pose of trying to change the law.
President Obama is planning to announce a nominee to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia who died recently. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell is adamant about blocking the appointment.
The video went viral.
This is the adorable mo- ment a 106-year-old woman met President Barack Obama for the first time - and turned it into a dance party.
The minute Virginia McLaurin saw Pres. Obama as she walked into the White House she yelled 'Hi!' to the President, open- ing her arms wide with excite- ment as he came over and took her hands.
‘How are you?’ he asked, a huge grin on his face. ‘I’m fine,’ she replied, already dancing excitedly.
An ‘Oh it’s so nice to see you,’ Pres. Obama said and she told him ‘It’s an honor, it’s an honor’.
The President then asked Ms. Virginia if she wanted to say hi to the First Lady Michelle and she enthusias- tically waved to the First Lady and said ‘Yes’.
Still holding Pres. Obama’s hands, she immedi- ately began walking over as he jokingly told her to slow down.
‘She’s 106!’ the President told the First Lady.
‘No you are not! Oh my goodness,' Mrs. Obama re- sponds. 'I wanna be like you when I grow up,’ she tells Ms. Virginia.
‘You can,’ Ms. Virginia says with a smile, as she started to dance.
Mrs. Obama immediately joined in and grabbed Ms. Virginia’s hand to join the groove session, asking her ‘What’s the secret to still danc-
ing at 106?’
‘Just keep movin’ she said
as the First Lady continued to dance with her.
‘We’re so happy to have you here,’ the First Lady told her, ‘and look at those nails!', she says, admiring Ms. Vir- ginia's purple manicure.
The overjoyed Ms. Vir- ginia continued to dance in the middle of the couple, let- ting out a ‘Wooo!’ as they took some pictures.
‘I thought I would never live to get in the White House,’ Ms. Virginia told the Presi- dent. Well you are right here!' the Obamas exclaimed.
‘And I tell you,’ Ms. Virginia continues. ‘I am so happy. A Black President’, she says, shaking President Obama’s hand and looking at him with pride.
‘And I’m here to celebrate Black History. Yea! That’s what I’m here for,’ she adds, doing a little jig again.
‘We’re glad to have you here,’ a beaming President told her as Ms. Virginia laughed.
‘You have just made our day,’ Mrs. Obama said. ‘You know that? That energy.’
‘Well,’ Ms. Virginia said. ‘You made my day.’
Ms. Virginia's White House dance party came a year after a petition was launched to help get her an in- vite. She posted a video on YouTube telling President Obama how much she'd love to meet him and his family and on Sunday her dream fi- nally came true.
"I seek judges who ap- proach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice, a respect for precedent, and a determina- tion to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand," the pres- ident continued.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he would block a hearing on Capitol Hill should Pres. Obama decide to nominate someone during this presidential elec- tion year.
"I can now confidently say the view shared by virtually everyone in my conference is that the nomination should be made by the president who the people elect in the election that is underway right now," McConnell said.
Democrats, however, have voiced their opposition to waiting for a newly elected president to decide, saying the Constitution gives the president the right to nomi- nate someone at any mo- ment because of a vacancy.
White House News
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