Today. In the eighth year of a term limited president democrats certainly have a complicated history when it comes to their own words and their Supreme Court. They have the schumer standard. Dont consider a nomination one and a half years but for the final term and the biden role. Dont consider a nominee before hes even finished his first term. Now they have the mandate. Dont consider a presence nominee from basically the first time he takes off as per the more we hear from democrats about the Supreme Court, the more we are reminded by comparison of how reasonable an. Commonsense the republican is today. Again congressman from kentucky complains about thehe fact that the most senior membeh of the United States senate is t going to have a meeting todayocs and hes invited all the judicial members to come because hes going to have some witnesses testify about having a court full of justices, all mine you can call it whatever you want. He wont be there. The american judiciary is in trouble. Thats why they are having this meeting today. The United StatesSupreme Court needs nine justices. Not eight, not seven, nine. The Cousin Senate republicans refusal to consider senior judge on a d. C. Circuit, the second most Influential Court in the land, Merrick Garland. The court is in trouble. Ov were talking about one person that has so much control overoe what goes on in the Supreme Court. That persons not there. In recent weeks they were deadlocked on many important cases. and questions before it. For example, the day before yesterday the justice punted on two more cases, demanding both to lower courts. These actions were clear indications that the court was tied 44. And to the wisdom of the people that are on that the court, they decided it would be better, since they couldnt arrive at a decision, to send it back to the lower courts to see if they could help work out the problems. Not having nine justices is a serious problem. As was written yesterday in the New York Times editorial, i quote, every day that passes without a ninth justice underlines the undermines the Supreme Courts ability to function and leaves legal of americans waiting for clarity as major legal questions are major legal questions are our unresolved. The Supreme Court is a search and justice. It takes years off and to get to that court. They seek resolution. Ns they seek clarity. But because republicansty unprecedented obstruction they can do neither. Going they are not getting resolution and theyre not getting justice, already its creating longterm issues for nations highest court. This term only 12 cases for itst next term which begins in should october and runs through june of 2017. This the court Court Continues to accept our i should say not accept cases at this glacial pace. The next term of justices hearing fewer cases than its been heard by that court in more than seven decades, seven years, seven years. To it stands to reason justice rubber tire chief justice is calling accepted cases according to the ability to hear and process them. Supreme a gridlocked court can accomplish the same. Its not the Supreme Courts fault. Alf the blame belongs to Senate Republicans for their blocking o Merrick Garlands nomination. For seven happier Senate Republicans have blocked anything recent obama has proposed. Who is behind this . T t rightwing organizations led at the koch brothers. They want to keep it just theob way it is. They want to keep this court so it can do its job. Ropose for seven and a half years Senate Republicans have lockedet anything that president obama has proposed including now. Ces, the Supreme Court justice now having nine justices republicanr are bringing gridlocked legislator brands to the judicial ranch. Has deviously for the whole time obama has been president they were blocking what has gone on in the legislative branch. I they have now deadlocked the Supreme Court. Nd this is not acceptable. Justice delayed we have heard is justice denied and that isin certainly true. Th by bringing the court to a standstill justice all americans deserve. To garlan thing. Fill a Supreme Court vacancy but to do that they must begin it process of garland nomination. Has the the questionnaires filled out and done. I wonder how many republicans have even looked at it. Has there have been any . Shouldnt there be a hearing . The reason i want to have a hearing is they know any hearing public in nature would show the American People in the world would a good man Merrick Garland is, what a good lawyer he was, what a good judge he has been. N but they have to start processing this and they seem to believe they, the republicans seem to want to refuse not one, meet anything dealing with them. I think they should have held a that meeting today on the garland nomination organized by the Judicial Committee democratg calling in the finest people you can find telling us whats going on in the judiciary. My friend republican leader brings up make that hasnt served in congress in 40 years. E we have been through quite a bit since then but he has nothing else to refer to so he talks about mexico who was going to republican i believe hes more than 90 years old. Now the judiciary chair senator grassley should proceed withou committee hearings. The American People deserve a. Full and transparent counting of Merrick Garland qualifications. After hearing of course he should move his nomination for a vote on the senate floor. Every day that passes by lost dy confirmation its another lost a in the judiciary and american justice. To give the people a voice but their actions are doing just the opposite. Republicans are the nine v. American people the justice they deserve to take for example the case as they referred back to the lower courts. T the litigants have waited years to get it for the Supreme Court. Now in effect they have to start over. Republicans are denying the. American people but just a statc deserve, the justice that we thought was guaranteed by the constitution so instead of gridlock and art didnt hire judicial system we should giveve the court the ninth justice that desperately needs. The focus has been on theri Supreme Court and it should be but republicans are doing the same thing with trial court judges. The judiciary has many many districts that are declared a judicial emergency. They dont have enough judges to do their work. The republicans are doing the only thing they know to do well we the American People know they need to do something about the judiciary. They should do their job and get Merrick Garland a hearing and a vote. House panel examined provisions and the americans with disabilities act involving public accommodations and whether changes should be made to help enforce the law. For me the worst thing i have ever done was committed an act of murder in 1991. That caused the mans death and it was by far one of the worst things you can do. I made that unfortunate decision at the age of 19 and devastated a family. Take somebodys husband, son, brother, father and its one of the things largely reasons that i do some of the work that i do in the city. You never want another child to grow up with that type of burden. Its one of those burdens that never goes away. The parents of a california teenager who died after using synthetic ravana known as spies testified about the dangers of synthetic drugs that claim their sons life. We will also hear from the dea official and the washington d. C. Police officer at this house judiciary subcommittee hearing. The crime terrorism, security and investigation subcommittee will come to order. We welcome everyone to this mornings hearing on synthetic drugs and i will begin by recognizing myself for not putting statement. Last wth