Cotton tells Garland: 'Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court'
By Harper Neidig - 10/27/21 12:40 PM EDT
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday clashed with Republican senators over the Justice Department's efforts to crack down on violent threats against school boards, with one GOP member telling the former judge, "Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court."
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) made the remark during a heated exchange in which the senator tried to tie the Justice Department's new school board policy to an incident in Loudoun County, Va., where a teenager was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student in a school bathroom.
"This testimony, your directive, your performance is shameful," Cotton said. "Thank God, you're not on the Supreme Court. You should resign in disgrace, judge."
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Cotton's remark came during an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Garland faced repeated attacks from Republicans over the memo that was issued earlier this month offering federal assistance to schools and local law enforcement amid a rise in violent threats against education officials and teachers.
Before joining the Biden administration this year, Garland was a judge on the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Former President Obama nominated Garland to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia in 2016, but the confirmation process never got off the ground due to opposition from Senate Republicans.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/578715-cotton-tells-garland-thank-god-youre-not-on-the-supreme-court
