earlier in his career he oversaw the federal prosecution of be oklahoma bomber timothy mcvey and ted kazynski. >> for a judge to be worthy of such trust he or she must be faithful to the constitution and to the statutes passed by the congress. he or she must put aside his personal views or preferences and follow the law not make it. >> reporter: president obama called on regions in th on repue senate to give garland an up and down vote. >> it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. it will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of politics. everything. it will provoke an endless cycle of more tit-for-tat and make it increasingly possible for any president democrat or republican to carry out their constitutional function. >> reporter: if the president hoped his words might bring the two sides together, he was wrong. ever since the death of justice scalia, the battle lines have been clearly drawn and it didn't take long after the ceremony at the rose garden at the white house, for republicans to state for them absolutely nothing had

he over saw the prosecution of the oklahoma city bomber timothy mcvey. bm called on republicans to do what he said was the right thing. >> it will not only be an abdication of the duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. it will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of politics. everything. >> reporter: a political observer says obama isn't going to get what he wants. >> once they've taken a position here that says i'm not going to skroet, i will not confirm this seat, it's very hard to get them to just flip their position and only doing it because of political considerations is not something that is a very strong position to take heading into an election. >> i am grateful beyond words for the honor you have bestow episode upon me >>> me me >>> the controversy over the new supreme court justice comes as the race for the white house intensifie intensifies. >> reporter: john kasich has been put back in the race by his home state. after winning one state, there is one strategy available to him, t

a conservative on criminal justice issues, earlier his career he oversaw the prosecution ever timothy mcvey and unibomber ted kazinski. >> for a judge to be worthy of such trust he or she should be loyal to the constitution, he or she must put aside his personal views and preferences and follow the law not make it. >> reporter: president obama called on republicans in the senate to giver garland a fair hearing. and give an up or down vote. if you don't it will be aan abrogation of the constitutional duty. >> beyond repair, it will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of politics. everything. it will provoke an endless cycle of more tit-for-tat, and make it increasingly possible for any president, democrat or republican, to carry out their constitutional function. >> reporter: if the president hoped his words might bring the two sides together he was wrong. ever since the death of justice scalia, the battle lines over this issue have been clearly drawn and it didn't take long after today's ceremony here at the rose garden at the white house for the treebles stat repo state, for th

in 1995 as seen here in a video released by the white house today, leading the prosecution of timothy mcveywho carried the names of the victims with him as he prosecuted the case. >> we promised to find the suspects. >> he also led the prosecution of the uni bomber, as a judge, garland is known as a moderate although he would tip the balance of the supreme court by replacing conservative anthony scalia. now, he faces a possible firestorm, and president obama spoke of the supreme court. >> it is supposed to be above politics. it has to be. and it should stay that way. >> reporter: in choosing merrick garland as nominee, the president has selected somebody who in normal time with his endorsements over the years from both sides of the political aisle and his moderate record would be easily confirmable. but this is not a normal political time. terry moran, abc news, the supreme court. >>> minutes after that rose garden ceremony the senate's top republican declared the nomination was going nowhere. but there was mixed reaction. >> would there be any chance you would change your mind? >> none, i

. >> the president praised garlandes' experience, he oversaw the trial of timothy mcvey. >> it will not only be the senate's constitutional duty. but it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that's beyond repair. it will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of politics. everything. >> reporter: a political observer said obama isn't going to get what he wants. >> once they have taken a position over here that says i'm not going to vote, i'm not going to confirm this seat. it's very hard for them to flip the position, and only doing it because of political considerations is not something that's a very strong position to take heading into an election. >> i'm grateful beyond words for the honor of this. >> reporter: merrick is starting his courtesy rounds with senators, and it may take more than that to get them to confirm him. >> michael lee, he's here with me and welcome to the program. you have to consider garland, don't you? >> yeah, he's absolutely an impeccable judge. he has amazing credentials, he has been -- he's chief judge of the dc circuit, on th

life, but i got choked up listen to garland describe his values and family and the prosecution of timothy mcvey and his choice to give up being a partner to be a line prosecutor in a small windowless cigar-smelling room in the department of justice headquarters. this is a man that comes across as truly decent and as deeply committed to the rule of law. i think if we, as you say, just go through the motions and allow him a hearing, the average american will realize it's a consensus pick, at 63 one of the oldest nominees to serve on the supreme court. i am pleased president obama played this straight and didn't nominate somebody designed to stir up our base and somebody designed to rev up the activist, and he is viewed as somebody that deserves a hearing, which in my role on the foreign relations committee, i am often in a position of lecturing heads of state in other parts of the world about the importance of a nonpolitical judiciary that can preside over its constitutional role. and for folks looking at whether or not our constitutional order can function even in election year. >> it should be