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U.S. NEWSWednesday 17 February

Before Supreme Court nod, an intrusive interrogation
medical histories and, yes, probing questions about
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s courtroom chair is draped in black to mark his death as love lives, are all scrutinized their loyalty, reliability and
part of a tradition that dates to the 19th century, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at the Supreme Court for potential red flags. character in FBI back-
in Washington. Scalia died Saturday at age 79. He joined the court in 1986 and was its longest- “The idea that you miss ground checks. But for Su-
serving justice. something that later tor- preme Court contenders,
pedoed the nomination the inquiry goes far deeper.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) — that’s a nightmare,” said Justice Anthony Kennedy
Jack Quinn, former White sat through 10-plus hours
JOSH LEDERMAN intensely personal. In trying through the nation’s most House counsel to President of FBI interviews — and
Associated Press to replace the late Justice Bill Clinton. a three-hour session with
WASHINGTON (AP) — White Antonin Scalia, the presi- thorough background Just ask Judge Douglas the attorney general and
House lawyers are scouring dent could alter the bal- Ginsburg. Nine days after White House counsel in
a life’s worth of information ance of the court for de- check, an invasive process President Ronald Reagan which all “conceivable
about President Barack cades — but only if he can nominated him for the high no-holds-barred questions
Obama’s potential picks get his nominee through where nothing is off-limits. court, it was revealed he were asked,” according to
for the Supreme Court, Republicans in the Senate. had smoked marijuana as a memorandum archived
from the mundane to the Prospective justices are put After all, a surprise dredged a law professor at Harvard in the Reagan Library.
and he was forced to bow Among the questions Ken-
up later could scuttle con- out. nedy was asked: Have you
For Obama, who has suc- ever engaged in kinky sex?
firmation. So candidates’ cessfully nominated two jus- Did you shoplift as a kid?
tices, the vetting process is What about any associa-
taxes, writings, child- even more critical this time tions with groups like the
as he works to push a nomi- Klu Klux Klan? Ever abuse
hoods, business dealings, nee through in his final year a girlfriend? Engage in cru-
in officein what is shaping elty to animals? And tell us
Obama calls for bipartisanship on vacancy up to be one of the biggest about sex in college: How
political fights of the year. often, how many women,
Continued from Front The dispute reflects years firming successors are un- Already, Republicans are and did you ever contract
of escalating partisan hos- certain. threatening to not even a venereal disease?
Democrats say Obama has tilities over judicial nomina- If Senate Republicans hold hold a vote. If hearings get Typically, such a deep dive
every right and a constitu- tions, as well as the unusual fast to their vow not to con- mired in a squabble over doesn’t take place un-
tional duty to fill vacancies timing. firm anyone Obama nomi- some late revelation, Re- til the “short list” has been
on the court until he leaves The pace of lower court nates, then the Supreme publicans could find a fresh winnowed to a few candi-
office Jan. 20, 2017. confirmations always slows Court will operate with rationale for dragging the dates being seriously con-
The Republicans’ recom- in a presidential election eight justices not just for the process out until Obama’s sidered. Some presidents
mended solution is “irre- year, as the party that rest of this court term, but term ends in January 2017. keep a close hold on the
sponsible and it’s unprec- does not control the White for most of the next one as Traditionally, vetting takes names, wary of allowing
edented,” Sen. Pat Leahy, House prefers to hold out well. weeks if not months, de- opponents to start building
the ranking Democrat Sen- hope that its candidate will High court terms begin in pending on how many a case against them. Oth-
ate Judiciary Committee, fill vacant judgeships rather October, and the 80 or so candidates are being ers have floated potential
said Tuesday. than give lifetime tenure to cases argued in the course checked. But Obama is ex- names through the media
“The American public ex- the other party’s choices. of a term typically are de- pected to move as quickly to try to gauge the public’s
pects us to do the job we’re But Supreme Court vacan- cided by early summer. as possible to announced reaction.
elected to do. The presi- cies in presidential years The court would be unable his pick. The White House “I always tell clients that
dent is going to do what he are rare, in part because to issue nationwide rulings was jolted into action after they should think long and
is elected to do and let’s the justices avoid retiring on any issue in which the learning of Scalia’s death, hard about whether they
vote up or down.” when prospects for con- justices split 4-4.q officials said, summon- want to go through the
ing administration lawyers process at all,” said Rob-
over Presidents Day week- ert Kelner, a partner at the
end to begin searching for Covington law firm who
a suitable replacement. advises presidential ap-
Obama, traveling in Cali- pointees on Senate confir-
fornia, has been working mation. “You give up any
with top advisers on his list semblance of privacy. Your
while aides feel out sena- name may be floated,
tors about their willingness but then it might become
to hold a vote. publically known that the
Millions of Americans with White House backed away
security clearances or gov- because of something
ernment jobs are asked embarrassing.”q