The verdict is already in: Barack Obama has nominated a partisan liberal with a record even he would envy.

CNN’s Manu Raju: “[Garland] has a liberal, more progressive bent in his background. Something that could potentially fire up the Democratic base in this election year.”

New York Times: “If Judge Garland is confirmed, he could tip the ideological balance to create the most liberal Supreme Court in 50 years.”

Associated Press: “If confirmed, Garland would be expected to align with the more liberal members.”

Los Angeles Times: “Obama has the opportunity to tilt the nation’s highest court to a liberal majority for the first time in a generation.”

Newsday’s Bill Dedman: “Odd to hear some lazily describing #MerrickGarland as moderate. See chart from @NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/16/us/politics/garland-supreme-court-nomination.html …. #SCOTUSnominee”

CNN’s Dana Bash: “In fact, one senior Senate Republican who I just spoke with said that their take on it is that the president knows he has no chance, which is why he nominated Garland…”

The Daily Caller: “Garland could also face some attacks over his rulings on environmental issues. In 2003, for instance, Garland helped uphold an EPA decision applying the Endangered Species Act to the arroyo toad, holding that the EPA was empowered by the Interstate Commerce Clause to protect the toad even though it lives only in California. Garland was also a dissenter in a court ruling that struck down some of the EPA’s anti-haze regulations, which critics argued were extremely burdensome to business.”

The Hill: “Obama Supreme Court nominee’s record on guns in the spotlight”

NBC’s Chuck Todd: “…[Obama] may have made the perfect political pick he could have made.”

U.S. News & World Report: “Merrick Garland’s Stands on Guns, Gitmo Among His More Controversial”

Washington Examiner: “But when it comes to gun control, one of Obama’s well-known priorities that has hit a brick wall in Congress, Garland is know for helping to usher in stricter gun laws in D.C., as National Review recently pointed out.”

Washington Times: “Merrick Garland has a ‘very liberal view of gun rights.’”

Associated Press: “On the other side, Obama allies have been drafted to run a Democratic effort that will involve liberal groups that hope an Obama nominee could pull the high court’s ideological balance to the left.”

USA Today: “…tipping a delicate balance on the court that could impact decisions on abortion, the death penalty and voting rights”

Fox News: “Garland would be expected to align with the more liberal members.”

The Hill: “But conservatives have pointed to Garland’s past decisions to show that this seemingly moderate nominee has not always been so moderate.”

NPR: “But Garland has also been a persuasive voice for liberals, managing to bring conservatives over to his side on issues ranging from the environment to national security.”

Vox: “DC v. Heller is perhaps the case for which Republicans have condemned him most strongly… Garland dissented and wanted to rehear the case, suggesting he might have disagreed and thought the handgun ban was constitutional.”

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