OUR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT:

President Obama's pick to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court is, perhaps surprisingly, a consensus candidate who up until now has enjoyed strong support from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But constitutional scholars say behind Merrick Garland's centrist profile is a pattern of reinforcing government and police powers that civil libertarians may find a bit difficult to live with.

"His record on the DC Circuit suggests he is highly deferential to administrative agencies and possibly overly pro-government when it comes to the rights of criminal defendants," said George Mason University School of Law professor Ilya Somin. 

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