Attorney General Loretta Lynch informed the Obama administration she does not want to be considered for the vacancy on the Supreme Court, according to a statement from the Justice Department Tuesday.
“Given the urgent issues before the Department of Justice, she asked not to be considered for the position,” agency spokeswoman Melanie Newman said.
Newman express Lynch’s gratitude to those who had suggested her for the position, but cited Lynch’s priority of maintaining “her effectiveness in her current role” through January 2017, when a new president will be sworn in, Politico reported late Tuesday.
The unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month left a vacancy on the high court that has become a highly contested issue in the 2016 presidential race.
Republicans have said President Obama should not nominate a justice in his final year in office, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying the chamber will not consider any nominee that Obama offers. Democrats, meanwhile, have urged Obama to act and for the Senate, controlled by Republicans, to “do your job” and consider and vote for a replacement justice.
