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Archive: 2016 March
Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The following is excerpted from the president’s remarks at the White House following the announcement. Of the many powers and responsibilities that the Constitution vests in the presidency, few are more consequential than appointing a Supreme Court justice — particularly one to succeed Justice Scalia, one of the most influential jurists of our time. The men and women who sit…
Zika Virus
The U.S. Government is responding on several fronts to the outbreak of Zika, a virus primarily spread by mosquitoes that recently has been linked to birth defects and other concerning health conditions in parts of Latin America. In early February, the Obama Administration sent Congress a request for $1.9 billion in emergency funding to combat Zika overseas and in the United States. The money would go to the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department and its U.S. Agency for International Development. It would be used for preparedness efforts, mosquito control, vaccine research and development, testing and…
“Cancer Moonshot”
In his January 12, 2016, State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a “national effort” to find innovative new treatments for cancer and said he was putting Vice President Joe Biden “in charge of mission control.” Last October, after stating that he would not be running for President, Biden called for a “moon shot in this country to cure cancer” and said that he would dedicate the remainder of his term to that cause. In a January 12 blog post, the Vice President wrote that although “innovations in data and technology offer the promise to speed research advances and…
Antonin Scalia’s Career and Legacy
Justice Antonin Scalia died in his sleep while on vacation at a ranch resort near Marfa, Texas, on February 13, 2016. Although the cause of death was not announced, the 79-year-old jurist had battled health problems, including heart disease, for a number of years. “Nino” Scalia, as he was referred to by friends, was nominated to be an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 26, 1986. He became the first Italian American to serve on the Court. With nearly 30 years on the bench, he was the…