• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court is Governor Branstad’s cousin

Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court is Governor Branstad’s cousin

March 16, 2016 By O. Kay Henderson

Merrick Garland.

Merrick Garland.

Iowa’s Republican governor is related to the man President Obama just nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Governor Terry Branstad and Judge Merrick Garland are second cousins on the maternal side of Branstad’s family tree. Branstad wrote a letter of recommendation for his cousin in 1995. That’s when Garland was appointed by President Clinton to be a federal judge, but the two never met until last month.

Branstad and his wife met Garland and his wife for breakfast while the Branstads were in Washington, D.C. for a National Governors Association meeting. According to Branstad’s spokesman, the cousins discussed their Latvian heritage, but “judicial matters” were not discussed.

Branstad’s spokesman says Gov. Branstad trusts Senator Chuck Grassley and the governor will support the path” Grassley chooses as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Grassley says he will not consider Garland’s nomination.  (Read the full statement here.)

Branstad’s mother, Rita Garland Branstad, died in 1990. She was born in Burlington, Iowa, in 1926. Judge Garland was born in Chicago in 1952 and was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Skokie High School.

Photo courtesy of the White House.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News

Featured Stories

Reynolds signs her ‘school choice’ bill into law

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

Iowan who was oldest person in the U.S. dies

Iowa Lottery to start making some payments via debit cards

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State names new receivers coach

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

Northern Iowa men host Valparaiso

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC