President. ni well talk about the pick in a moment. First lets bring in nbc justice correspondent pete williams. Pete, what do we know about hima what message the president sending with this copick . The message is hes trying to make it harder for senatew3 republicans to oppose someone well liked and has a goodr expect, matt and savannah, to hear from judge garland when the ceremony beg but the white house is already saying he has more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history. Pete, that brings me to chuck. Fa certainly, the white house is tryingni to put Senate Republics who vowed nojd to bring any nominee up for acoxdn vote in a tighter spot saying this is known as a noni] ideological judge, a centrist. xlr t hahp this is the best youre going to Supreme Courtdjn appointee. We were told sixwmzvqp s ago, h is the perfect pick if they have 4a lo and niae old, ac republi senate. Anthony kennedy. Right . More center left andq we were discussing before going on, he didnt check a political block withym this one. Being 3w63, this is not the president trying to change theo court for a generation. Republicans to stick by thenb pledge theyre somehow not going to even have a w3hearing. Not even have a hearing, not tzyuatave a Courtesy Call j do . Does he go up to capitol hill and start knocking onfa doors . Probably do that, yes. Theresko 9 he will be well coachedko now byko an entire thats what they normally dot anyway and thats an extra, tra important with this one. They wont meet with him much less as you say holdco ajf vote and try to point up the difference. Maybe try to get pictures of hia knocking on doors that wontco open but theyre certainly going to show the Courtesy Call meetings with democrat a and th democrats you can expect try to play up the differenceq saying the guy should bejf treated wit more respect than this. And judge garland is well respectedxd on both sides of th aisle. The white house is circulating quotes from senator orrin hatch saying how much he nirespects,x appreciates judge garland in republican senators are running for reelection in swing states and blue states and heard these republicans more worried about this issue, obstruction of the court, than donald trump. Okay . And the scariness ofco this. I thinkni theyrexd going to ha hearings, will be a vote. I think its filibustered and probably get over 50. Heres the magic formula if youre the pres eent. Ifq Hillary Clintonco wins in november, garland is confirmed in december. Waiting for the presidenul t come out task force will be the most fa comprehensive, judicial response effort in our partys history. And this is whyq i think the white house wept with Merrick Garland. Hes got a r q skin. That was key here. Was durableni politically. Who could hand what wills goinc to be a hot house. On the other hand, brings me to fapete. You have a judgenos somebody with 20 years of alp judicia,nb record to pick through and i we are about to see president obamafa d judge garland, the nominee to the court, as theymy enter the ceremony. Good morning. C of the many powersyrez responsibilities that the constitution vests in the presidency, few are more Supreme Courtcko justice. Particularly one to succeed justice scalia, one of the most influent jurists of ourco time. The mek and women who sit on th Supreme Court are the final arbitors of american law. They safeguard our rights. n laws and not men. Theyre charged with the applying principles put to paper more than two centuries ago to some of the most challenging questions of our timu3 sook this i f not a responsibil expediency and narrow politics to maintaint faith with our founders and perhaps more importantly with future ge,m ations. Thats why over the past several weeks i have done myfa best to s process. Ive soughttx q advice of republican and democratic memberscow3 of congress. Weve reached out to every member of the Senate Judiciary committee, to constitutional scholars, to groups, bar associations representing a array of interests and opinions from all across the spectrum. And today, after completing thi1 exhaustive process, ive made my widely recognized not only as one of a e icas sharpestxdc leq minds, but someone whoni bringso his work a spirit of decency,nn3 modesty, integri437 even handedness and excellence. R thesee qualities and his long commitment to Public Service have earned him the respect and admiration of leaders from both sides of the aisle. Qt same character to bear on the Supreme Court. An institution in which he isw3 uniquely prepared to serve immediately. Today, i am no, maam nighting chief judge Merrick Brian Garland to join the supreme now, in law enforcementni circl and in the Legal Community at large, judge garlandym needs n introduction but i would like to he already so ablyxdw3q serves. Land of lincoln, in my hometown illinois. His mother volunteered in the fa community. His father ran a Small Business out ofxd their home. He earned a scholarship tonini harvard where he graduated and School Working asnrw3 a tutor, stockingni shoes inni a shoe st and in what y always anr pain moment for any young man, by selling his comic book collection. nixd its tough. Been there. ni qnt laude. First for a judge onc the 2nd circuit, henry friendly, and then Justice William brennan. Following the clerkships, law firm, one that practiced americans. Within four years he earned afa partnership, 4ie dream of most lawyers. But in 1989, just months after that achievement, merrick made r he walked awayf6 z a service. Merrick accepted a low level judge as a federalt prosecutorn president george h. W. Bushs 50 . Traded in his elegant Partners Office for axd windowless close aahat smelled of stale cigarett smoke. This was a time when crime here in washington hade1 reached epidemic proportions and he wanted to help and he quickly made a name for himself ,n goi after corrupt politicians and violent criminals. Prosecutor led him to ther Justice Department where he oversaw some of the most significant pros including overseeing every aspect of the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing. e in the aftermath of that act of terror,u when 168ko people, maf them small children, were murdered, merrick had one evening to say goodbye to his own youngc daughters before he board add plane to Oklahoma City and remain there for weeks. He worked side by side with he led the investigation andi] supervised the prosecution that just butfafa perhaps most important the way he did it. Throughout the process, merrick the book. ni when people offered to turn over evidence voluntarily,xu q refusd obtaining subpoenas, instead. He would take no chances that technicality. Merrick also made8 effort to reach out to the victims and their nifamilies. ni updating them frequently on the cases progress. Everywhere he went, he carried with his in his briefcase the program of the Memorial Service with each of the victims names why he has to succeed. nixd judge garland has often referred to his work on the Oklahoma City case as, and i quote, thefa mos important thing i have ever done in my life. And through itnr all, he never lost touch with that community that he served. Fai]9 its no surprise then that soon after his work in oklahomafa ci called thelp second highest cou in the land, the d. C. Circuit court. Lpnr during that process, during thaq confirmation process, het earnr overwhelming bipartisan praise from senators and legal experts, alike. Ci]ni republican senator orrin hatch who was then chairman of thexd Senate Judiciary1 l committee supported his nomination. Back then he said, in all honesty, i would like to see one person come toxd this floor and say one reason why merrick g9iand does not deserve thisq position. He actuallyxd accused fellow Senate Republicans trying tozv tahu u judges. Uuc and he has since said that judge garland wofuzco a consensus nominee for the Supreme Court, who would be very well supported by all sides and there would be no questionc merrick would be confirmed with bipartisan support. Ultimately, merrick was confirmed to the d. C. Circuit. The Second Highest Court in the land with votes from a majority of democrats and aq majority of three3w years, he was elevated chief judge. And in his 19 years on the nrni brought hisnr trademark diligeni compassion and unwavering regard for the rule of e w to his work Circuit Court knowncfor lp strongminded judges on bothm. P ends of the spectrum, judge garland hasxd earned ai] trackt record of building consensus as fairminded judge who follows the law. Bring together odd couples, assembleodunlikely coalitions. Persuade colleagues with wide 3tnanging judicial philosophieso sign on to hisfa faopinions. T speaks, i believe, to judget g anands fundamental temperament, his insistence that all views deserve a respectful hearing. His habit t borrow a phrase o former Justice John Paul stevens of understanding before faxd disagreeing. And then disagreeing without persuade, to respond to the concerns of others with sound arguments and airtight logic. As his formert colleague on th d. C. Circuit and oure1 current chief justice of the Supreme Court, johnok roberts, once sai any time judge garland qr at the same time, chief judge garland is more than just a brilliant legal mind. Hes someone who has a keen understanding that justice is about more than abstract legal theory. More than case t book. His life experience, hisr experiences int places like Oklahoma City, informs his view that the law is more than an intellectual exercise. He unders4eds the way law affects the daily reality of peoples lives in a big,ev÷ complicated democracy and rap rapidly changin d lptimes. Andt jf throughout hs juror us ; uea tt is a common thread, avmnlp conviction that in a democracy, powerful voices must not be allowed to drown out the voices of every day americans. Xd to find someone with such a lonq career in Public Service marked by complex and sensitive issues, to find someonecw3 who just abo everyone not only respects but genuinely likes, that is rare. c and itni speaks to who Merrick Garland is, not just a a people respect the waymy he trs others. Come before his court. Mindedness, mentoring his clerks throughout their careers,co urgg them to use the Legal Training b serve their communities, setting his own example tutoring a young student at a xdd. C. Elementary school each year for the past 18 years. Theyre moved by his deep devotion to his family. Lin, his wife of nearly 3 a yes v3dpir two daughter andxdcad jessie. G r t hahp hc loveom of america by visiting the national parks. People respect merricks deep and abiding passion for protecting our mostq basic constitutional rights. Its a passion im manifested itself at an earlyco age and one story is indicative of this. As valedictorian of the high school class, heq hadk7 deliv an address. The first was a fiery critique of theqxd vietnam war. Might result, several parents decided to unplugxde1faq the so system and the rest of the i] students speech was muffled. And merrick didnt necessarily agree with the tonenr of the silenced, he tossed delivered instead on thejf spot passionatexd impromptu defense e ac iu j the beginning of a zv lifelong career as a lawyer and to protecting the rightsf others. And he hasa5 done that workiwr decency and humanity and common sense and a common touch. And im proud that hell continue that work on our i said i would take this process seriously and i did. I]gu i chose a serious man and exemplary judge, Merrick Garland. Over my seven years as president in all my conversations with senators from both parties,xd i which i asked their views oncox qualified Supreme Court nominees, this includes the previous twonr seats that i hado fill, the onenic name that has up repeatedly from republicans and democrats alike is Merrick Garland. ni perhaps theses7 days it never ends. Jfco a political season thats even noisier and more volatile than usual. nr i know that republicans will point to democrats who have made it hard for republican president s to get their nominees confirmed. And theyre not wrong about that. ni meaqrah een politics involved in nominations in the past. Although, it should bexd pointe by a republican president. ni i also know that because of Justice Scalias outsik1q role on the court and in americanni w and the factcow3 that americans closelyw6divided on a number of issues before thet court, it i tempting tojf make this confirmation process simply an extension of our divide the squabbling thats going on in the news every day. Xdfaq be wrong. T it would beok a betrayal of our best traditions. And a betrayal of the vision of our founding documents. At a timexdxd when our politics so polarized, at a time when norms and customs oflp politica rhetoric and courtesyt and comy are so often treated like theyre disposable, this is ni should play it straight. And treat the process of appointing a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness an care it deserves. U really aisxde q unique. Its supposed to be above politics. It has to be. And it should stay that way. To suggest that someone is qualified and respected asok institution as important aslp o Supreme Court when two thirds of americans believe otherwise, that would be unprecedented. Fa to suggest that someone who has served his country withnr honor and digntb, with a distin7u m track record of American People might be treatea as one republicanlpxd leaderxd tomorrow, judge garland will travel to the hill to begin meeting with senators one on one. I]co iko simply askmy Republicans Senate to gieen him a fairco hearing. And then an up or down vote. R only be an abdication of the senatesxd constitutional duty,t will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges thats beyond repair. Faco itfa will meanco everything is j partisan of politics, everything. It will provoke an endless cycle of more titninr for tat and mak increasingly possible for any democrat, to carry out their constitutional function. The reputation of the Supreme Court will inevitably suffer. ni faith inx zu n Justice System wl inevitably suffer. Our democracy will ultimately suffer, as well. niqjft i]e1 i have f constitutional duty. Now its time for the senate to do theirs. Fa president s do not stop working in the final year of their term. Neither should a senator. I know that tomorrow the senate will take a break and leave town on recess for two t weeks. My earnest hope is senators take process of our e1democracy. Not whats expedient. Not whats happening at the moment. For our common e1life . The seriousnessjf of the job we th fashion. I hopec theyre fair. R thats all. I hope they are fair. As they dide1 when they confirm Merrick Garland to the xdd. C. Circuit. I ask that they confirm Merrick Garland now to the supreme n h time to fully participate in its work for the American People this fall. n is the right man for the job. C he deserves to be confirmed. I could not be prouder of the work that he hasc already done n behalf of the American People. R he deservesi] ourni mythanks. D. And with that, id like to invite judge garland to say a few words. [ applause ]w3koqxdxd thank you, mr. President. This is the greatest honor of my life. Other than lynn agreeing to marry me 28 years ago. Its also the greatest gift ive ever received nrexcept, and theres another caveat, the birth ofco our daughters jessie and becky. As myxdnz ni parents taughtjsnoh words and deeds, a life of Public Service is as much a gif to the person who serves as it is to those he is serving. And for me, there could be no higher Public Service than serving as a member of the United StatesSupreme Court. my family deserves much of the credit for the path this led me here. My grandparents lsgu the pale of settlement at the border of western russia and Eastern Europe in fleeing antisemitism and hoping to make a better life for their theyco settled in the midwest, eventually making their way to chicago. Jfxd there my father who ran the qez Small Businesses me with him as he made the run rounds to his customers, always impressing upon me the importance of hard work and fair dealing. Q there my mother s the local pta and school board and directed a volunteer services c agency, all the while instilling community is a responsibility above all others. Even nowt my sisters honor tha example by serving the children this on television and crying her eyesi] au so are my sisters who have supported me in every step i have ever taken. I onlye1 wish that my father we here to see this today. I also wish that we hadnt taught my older daughter to be so adventurous that she would be ut of cell servicep a9q lp it was sense of serving the led me to leave my lawyer and th