In this April 13, 2016, file photo, Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court arrives for a meeting in Washington. Supreme Court nominations became politically contentious about 222 years ago when the Senate voted down George Washington’s choice for chief justice. Republicans wouldn’t even hold a hearing for Garland, President Barack Obama’s nominee. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)