WASHINGTON – U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland will get his meeting with Sen. Pat Toomey but time seems to be the only thing the Pennsylvania Republican is willing to give to the president’s nominee.

Mr. Toomey already has said he will not vote to confirm any candidate nominated by Barack Obama during the president’s waning time in office.

“Sen. Toomey has made his position on the nomination clear, namely that the American people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court nominee,” when they elect a new president in November, Toomey spokeswoman E.R. Anderson said this afternoon.

Still, she said, “He looks forward to having a thoughtful and respectful discussion with Judge Garland.”

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in the senator’s D.C. office.

Judge Garland also will meet with eight other senators next week.

It is customary for nominees to meet one-on-one with every senator ahead of confirmation hearings, however many Republicans are pledging to block the confirmation process and some are refusing even to meet with Judge Garland.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has already met with the judge. Mr. Casey said he found Mr. Garland to be a smart and qualified nominee with the right demeanor and life experience to serve the highest court well.

Judge Garland is a Harvard Law School graduate who spent the last 19 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before that, he worked as a federal prosecutor whose most prominent case was against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Mr. Obama nominated him on March 16.

Washington Bureau Chief: tmauriello@post-gazette.com; 703-996-9292 or on Twitter @pgPoliTweets. 

First Published: April 8, 2016, 9:16 p.m.