Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland has a long way to go before he even gets a confirmation hearing. But if he winds up sitting on the highest judicial bench in the United States, he may find himself to be a deciding factor in the future of the country's marijuana policy.
Garland is considered a moderate liberal by most, meaning he would slant the Supreme Court to the left in a 5-4 split. But when it comes to marijuana reform, in the recent past he's leaned more conservative, though it's hard to determine how he would come down, if appointed.
In 2012, Garland and two other judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit presided over a case brought by Americans for Safe Access against the Drug Enforcement Administration.