President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court early Wednesday morning in order to fill the highly controversial vacancy left by late Justice Antonin Scalia’s that has been used as a power play between the two national parties.

This nomination was called for after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia who was widely known as a strictly conservative judge. His vacancy instigated national conversations as whoever replaced his position could indefinitely change the verdict of many ongoing issues and debates because of his or her political affiliation or views.

Some have argued that the nomination should be put off till the next President is elected into office, while others believe it is President Obama’s constitutional right to nominate a Supreme Court justice immediately.

Since it is written into the Constitution that the Senate must confirm the Supreme Court justice nominee through a simple majority, Obama urged Republican senators, who currently hold Senate majority by 54%, to stay away from party affiliations or views and focus on Garland’s long legal history which include serving on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit since 1997 and as its chief judge since 2013. Garland is also known for crafting the government response against the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 charging Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

“I’ve selected a nominee who is widely recognized not only as one of America’s sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even-handedness, and excellence,” President Obama said. “I simply ask Republicans in the Senate to give him a fair hearing, and then an up-or-down vote. If you don’t, then it will not only be an abdication of the Senate’s constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair.”

Yet, Republican Senators such as Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky have refused to meet with Garland and called for an ending of his nomination on the Senate floor shortly after Obama’s speech.

“The American people may well elect a president who decides to nominate Judge Garland for Senate consideration,” McConnell said. “The next president may also nominate someone very different. Either way, our view is this: Give the people a voice in the filling of this vacancy.”

Some Republican Senators are mindful that Garland could be a far more moderate choice than that chosen by Clinton if elected President this November.

“I think the nomination was smart on Obama’s part since Garland is a moderate,” Sorjo Banerjee (12) said. “So now the republicans can’t make their usual attacks that he is super liberal and also he’s served on super high profile cases such as the Oklahoma bombing so the public deeply respects him. So not only would he probably be a great justice but it will force Republicans to at the very least consider him in the senate.”

Republican Senators Mark Kirk, Kelly Ayotte, Charles E. Grassley, Orrin G. Hatch, Susan M. Collins, and Jeff Flake from Illinois, New Hampshire, Iowa, Utah and Arizona respectively have agreed to meet Garland in the next couple of weeks.

Garland had been in the short list of possible candidates for both times President Obama previously nominated justices but had been saved up for a time that would need large acceptance of Republicans, a primary reason why Garland was chosen over other top picks like Judges Sri Srinivasan and Paul Wartford.