How do Supreme Court Nominations Work?
Washington, DC - For much of American history, Supreme Court nominations attracted little public attention, but today, no single constitutional event produces more public interest and controversy (excepting, of course, presidential campaigns). The recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has sparked a heated debate about whether President Obama should nominate a new justice during the election year and whether the U.S. Senate should even consider his nomination.
Political Communication expert Dr. Trevor Parry-Giles can provide insight into the following:
- What is the history of Supreme Court nominations during election years?
- What is the constitutional role of the president and the Senate in the Supreme Court nomination process?
- Why is the Supreme Court justice nomination and confirmation process so highly political?
On Tuesday, President Obama said he would nominate a Supreme Court associate justice who is “indisputably qualified for the seat.” Dr. Parry-Giles has studied the Supreme Court confirmation process in-depth and can provide expert commentary on the topic.
WHO: Trevor Parry-Giles, Ph.D., Professor of Communication, University of Maryland, and Director of Academic and Professional Affairs, National Communication Association
Dr. Parry-Giles is the author of several books including The Character of Justice: Rhetoric, Law, and Politics in the Supreme Court Confirmation Process. He regularly lends his expertise to the media and has appeared in two documentary films and on the NBC Nightly News, the BBC, China Central Television, Maryland Public Television, and C-SPAN's Washington Journal. He has been quoted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, The London Times, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal, among others.
CONTACT: To schedule an interview with Dr. Parry-Giles, please contact Natalia López-Thismón at nlopez-thismon@natcom.org or 202-534-1104.
The National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion.
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