• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

White House Deploys New Twitter Account in SCOTUS Battle

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2016, 10:15 AM ET
U.S. President Barack Obama participates in an onstage interview at the South by Southwest Interactive in Austin
U.S. President Barack Obama participates in an onstage interview at the South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSAFCA© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters REUTERS

The Obama Administration has opened a new (digital) front in its ongoing battle with Republicans over the U.S. Supreme Court.

The White House on Wednesday launched a new Twitter (TWTR) account, called SCOTUS Nomination. The account, @SCOTUSnom, kicked off its tweets saying that President Obama will announce his pick to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday. The tweet added that the account would be a place for users to “follow along to get the facts on [President Obama’s] nominee and the nomination process in the Senate.”

Over the last couple of hours, the @SCOTUSnom account has been extremely active. There are already nine tweets in just two hours, and all include facts about the Supreme Court. Most of the content is dedicated to explaining why Republicans attempting to stop the president’s appointment of anyone to the U.S. Supreme Court would be damaging to the country.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“Without a ninth justice, 4-4 [Supreme Court of the United States] decisions can’t legally establish uniform, nationwide rules,” the latest tweet reads.

The White House’s decision to open the Twitter account is just the latest attempt by the Obama administration to make clear that the president reserves the right to nominate someone to the U.S. Supreme Court, and for that person to ultimately be vetted and voted on by Congress. However, many lawmakers, including the vast majority of Republicans, who control the Senate, argue that since 2016 is an election year, the next president of the United States should choose the person to fill the vacancy.

Last month, Scalia, widely viewed as a conservative justice, died, leaving a vacancy on the highest court in the U.S. Since then, the vacancy has been politicized, with the president arguing he reserves the right to nominate a justice and his competitors, including many Republican presidential candidates, rejecting that argument.

Read more: Here’s When Obama Will Announce His Supreme Court Nominee

Regardless, the president has pushed on, saying there is a historical precedent for presidents in election years to nominate justices. Indeed, a few tweets on the new @SCOTUSnom have been used to remind followers that “one-third of all previous U.S. presidents have had a nominee confirmed to the Supreme Court in an election year.”

Obama is believed to have narrowed his search to two judges: Sri Srinivasan or Merrick Garland. Both judges serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The president’s decision to use Twitter to get the point across illustrates the importance social media now plays in the political world. Indeed, it was Obama’s ability to capture the attention of the electorate on social media that propelled him to the presidency. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has also effectively used social media to engage constituents. All other candidates are also vying for support on Twitter and Facebook (FB).

For more about the Supreme Court battle, watch:

It appears at this point that the @SCOTUSnom will continue to be populated until either the president’s nomination is confirmed or shut down. The White House did not say how long it will maintain the account.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Artemis II’s moonbound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they travel more than 110,000 miles from home
InnovationNASA
Artemis II’s moonbound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they travel more than 110,000 miles from home
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressApril 3, 2026
8 hours ago
man silhouette two computer screens
CybersecurityOnline
Internet Watch Foundation finds 260-fold increase in AI-generated CSAM in just one year, and ‘it’s the tip of the iceberg’
By Catherina GioinoApril 3, 2026
8 hours ago
A woman working alone in an office
AIJobs
MIT created duplicate AI workers to tackle thousands of different tasks. The verdict? Most of the time AI is still just ‘minimally sufficient’
By Tristan BoveApril 3, 2026
11 hours ago
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
C-SuiteFortune 500 Power Moves
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
13 hours ago
Dario Amodei sits in a white chair with his hands pressed together in front of a pink and orange background.
AIAI agents
The AI kill switch just got harder to find: LLM-powered chatbots will defy orders and deceive users if asked to delete another model, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergApril 3, 2026
13 hours ago
Microsoft is spending billions on AI—but even NASA astronauts can’t escape Outlook headaches
LawNASA
Microsoft is spending billions on AI—but even NASA astronauts can’t escape Outlook headaches
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 3, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
21 hours ago
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
Magazine
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
23 hours ago
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
Success
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.