The Way We Live Now: White House Prods Republicans on Twitter With @SCOTUSNom

This morning, President Obama announced his pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court: the chief appeals court judge for the District of Columbia Merrick Garland. Republicans in Congress have said they would refuse to consider any nominee, arguing that the next administration ought to be able to choose the next justice.

Ahead of the announcement, The White House laid claim to a new front in its battle with Republicans over the Supreme Court: Twitter.

In advance of the President's announcement today, the administration launched a @SCOTUSNom Twitter handle, which it will use to disseminate information in 140 characters or fewer about Garland and provide context about past Supreme Court elections. Early this morning, before Garland had been confirmed as the nominee, the account was cued up with factoids like this:

And this:

Once the President announced his choice, the account quickly tweeted this quote from his speech in the Rose Garden:

The account, it seems, is a way of convincing Republicans—or at least the general public, who may then coerce Republicans—that electing a new Supreme Court justice under President Obama is not only critical, but has historical precedent. The administration took a similar approach when it launched its @TheIranDeal handle in hopes of helping the agreement go down easier among Americans. It's all part of the White House's plan to "meet people where they are," and that means, wherever they are online.

Here's hoping the @SCOTUSNom handle will save us from any more unfortunate NWA references, though:

As for whether the Senate will come around and confirm Merrick Garland—a centrist choice who in non-election years would likely have an easy road to confirmation—only time will tell.

This post has been updated with information on the administration's nominee.