On February 13 , the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia leave a vacant seat on the judiciary . Though much has been made of the Republicansthreatening to refuseany and all of President Obama ’s nominations , it would n’t be the first time in chronicle that opposing members of the Senate have deeply procrastinate . Tenth U.S. President John Tyler currently holds the book for the most break down nominating address , with eight nominations rejected or withdrawn in a span of just 15 months .
The situation then was not unlike the one we front today . Justice Smith Thompson pall on December 18 , 1843 , with the expiration day of the month on Tyler ’s presidency bulk large . The moderate political party of the Senate , the Whigs , hadhigh hopesthat Whig and former Secretary of State Henry Clay would be elected President of the United States . Clay would name a Supreme Court justness more amenable to their effort , of course , so the Senate absolute majority did everything they could to close up Tyler ’s nomination . But in addition to that conversant scenario , Tyler — dubbed “ His Accidency ” because he was the first president to take authority due to the death of his predecessor — no longerhad the support of his own party . All of that add up to the most drawn - out and give way nomination physical process in the account of American government .
First , Tyler put forth his Secretary of the Treasury , John C. Spencer . jam . He tried Chancellor of New York Reuben H. Walworth as well as attorney and jurist Edward King ; Withdrawn and blocked , severally . John Read , who would go on to become the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court , was constitute by Tyler but after withdrawnbeforethe Senate could work .
Then , associate justice Henry Baldwin died in April 1844 , leaving a second vacuum on the Supreme Court . Tyler try Spencer , Walworth ( doubly ) , and King again , but all of them werewithdrawn or rejected .
During Tyler ’s final calendar month in federal agency , the Senate finally approved Democrat Samuel Nelson to occupy Smith Thompson ’s spot . It took them another 27 calendar month to fill Baldwin ’s position , thelongest vacancyin history . ( So far . )
