• @bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    102 years ago

    The process is the justice announces retirement (or dies) and then the president appoints a nominee. Perhaps Obama didn’t ask RBG to retire prior to 2014, or she refused. The president can’t force a change, but just react to one.

    The Republican minority prior to 2014 blocked one of Obama’s recess appointments, so after 2014, even had RBG announced retirement, it was probably unlikely that a recess appointment would work. I assume at the time, they figured Clinton would be president in 2016 and that RGB could then retire during Clinton’s presidency.