--- title: Ted Cruz Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination description: Ted Cruz pledged to filibuster any appointee President Obama nominates to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. canonical: https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-14T15:17:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T09:13:22.370Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination og:description: "This should be a decision for the people" og:url: https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential Candidates Address Faith And Family Forum In S. Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination twitter:description: "This should be a decision for the people" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e04d3892-a80e-40c6-8f02-d89c59acc5fe&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=e04d3892-a80e-40c6-8f02-d89c59acc5fe&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Feb 14, 2016 3:17 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) briefs members of the media before he participates in the South Carolina Faith and Family Presidential Forum on Feb. 12 in Greenville, South Carolina. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) briefs members of the media before he participates in the South Carolina Faith and Family Presidential Forum on Feb. 12 in Greenville, South Carolina.Alex Wong-Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Feb 14, 2016 3:17 PM UTC Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on Sunday [pledged to filibuster](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-ted-cruz-john-kasich-marco-rubio/story?id=36918872) any appointee President Obama nominates to fill [Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat](http://time.com/4220770/antonin-scalia-influence/?1&xid=homepage) on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas senator said he would prolong the process of the president selecting a new successor to the bench after Scalia’s death. “This should be a decision for the people,” Cruz told ABC News’ _This Week_ host George Stephanopoulos. “Let the election decide it. If the Democrats want to replace this nominee, they need to win the election.” Obama said he plans to make a nomination “in due time.” He also said the Senate would “fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.” The death of the conservative Scalia has [upended the Republican party](http://time.com/4220762/antonin-scalia-dead-republican-party-senate-congress/?xid=homepage) and could change the Supreme Court, which previously swung 5-4 conservative. “Right now, the court is exquisitely balanced,” Cruz said. “This next selection needs to be a referendum on the court. The people need to decide.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination","datePublished":"2016-02-14T15:17:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:13:22.370Z","description":"\"This should be a decision for the people\"","url":"https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/","keywords":["Supreme Court"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican Presidential Candidates Address Faith And Family Forum In S. 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