Understanding Selection of the Next Supreme Court Justice President Barack Obama’s recent nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court has riveted attention on the Court as well as on the entire process of selecting and confirming justices. In fact, heated debates are roiling not only in Washington D.C. but also on social media and in individual homes across the country as Americans weigh in on whether Chief Judge Garland is the right choice. However, the real question boils down to this: Who determines the next Supreme Court justice? On the one hand, Republicans call for delaying the confirmation process on the premise that, as it is an election year, they want