Sen. Kirk Announces Support For President Obama Getting Chance To Fill Supreme Court Vacancy
(CBS) -- U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) says he believes President Barack Obama should put forward a nominee to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court left by the death of Antonin Scalia.
Kirk made the announcement in an op-ed on the Chicago Sun Times website on Monday, writing, "My sincerest hope is that President Obama nominates someone who captures the sentiment he spoke about before the Illinois General Assembly this month — a nominee who can bridge differences, a nominee who finds common ground and a nominee who does not speak or act in the extreme."
Kirk writes it's his duty to give the nominee a fair hearing and then vote for or against the pick.
The move by Kirk represents a break from Republican leadership, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell advising his colleagues not to consider any appointment made by Obama, who is in his final year of office, and to wait for a new president.
Kirk is up for re-election in 2016. His Democratic opponent will be determined In Illinois' March 15 Primary, with Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, Andrea Zopp and State Senator Napoleon Harris vying for the nomination.