The McConnell Power Grab: Hypocrisy in Real Time The theft of the Supreme Court didn’t happen overnight. It was a carefully orchestrated heist, and Mitch McConnell was the mastermind. In February 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died, President Obama had nearly a year left in his term. Obama nominated Merrick Garland, a moderate judge who Republicans had previously praised. McConnell’s response? He invented a new rule: no Supreme Court confirmations in election years. “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,” McConnell declared, blocking even hearings for Garland. ...