Hoeven, Heitkamp differ on Garland nominee

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp wants a hearing and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven says he won’t vote for President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

Obama announced Wednesday that he’s nominating federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the high court.

Senate Republicans say they won’t fill the seat until after the presidential election and won’t consider the Democratic president’s nominees.

Heitkamp, a Democrat, urged a hearing and a vote on the nomination. She says some U.S. senators are “playing politics with our highest court.”

Republican Hoeven says any nominee by Obama “will support the president’s regulatory agenda, which is counter to the interests of North Dakota.”

The GOP-led Senate must confirm Garland’s nomination for him to serve on the court.