Scalia found dead at West Texas Ranch

[grumbler]

Wow.  Shocking.  He didn't seem that old.  I didn't agree with him very often, but always enjoyed reading his opinions.  He was a smart guy.

I agree with AR that this position will be filled.  Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans want to be going into the election with the charge that they are refusing to execute their constitutional duties in order to seize partisan political gain.  I think that Obama has to pick a fairly moderate candidate so as to force the Republicans to vote on the nomination.  He can't afford a left-wing Bork.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Not just moderate. The candidate will also need to be highly respected and old.

[Admiral Yi]

The country needs a transgendered justice.

[jimmy olsen]

RIP Scalia.

Obama should appoint himself.

[alfred russel]

You know what would be awesome, even if it won't happen?

If he appointed himself, and with the confirmation resigned and let Biden finish his term. He is qualified.

edit--maybe I shouldn't glaze over reading Tim's posts. 

[Fate]

You know what would be awesome, even if it won't happen?

If he appointed himself, and with the confirmation resigned and let Biden finish his term. He is qualified.

Bad idea to appoint a smoker.

[Grinning_Colossus]

RIP Scalia.

Obama should appoint himself.

He'd be decreasing the size of the government. Checkmate, Republicans.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Cruz, Rubio, McConnell insist that new president fill Scalia seat on Supreme Court

GREENVILLE, S.C. – GOP presidential contenders are arguing for the Senate to run out the clock on President Barack Obama, depriving him the chance to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia's death today.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agrees.

"The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President," McConnell said in a statement.

Nearly a quarter of Obama's second term remains – just over 11 months.

But with news of Scalia's death less than an hour old, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have already asserted that the next president, not Obama, fill the job.

"We owe it to him, and the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement," Cruz tweeted.

Said Rubio: "The next president must nominate a justice who will continue Justice Scalia's unwavering belief in the founding principles that we hold dear."

It wasn't exactly clear if they were calling on Obama to refrain from naming a new justice, or on the Senate to block any nominee.

In reality, Obama would have a hard time getting a nominee confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate. The implication from Cruz and Rubio — and McConnell — seemed to be that he shouldn't even bother to try.

The stance raises a question for a would-be president: At what point in a president's four-year term does there come a tipping point after which nominees should be ignored and rejected?

Eleven months is a long cooling off period.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called for Obama to name a replacement right away, tweeting that "The Senate has a responsibility to fill vacancies as soon as possible."

Republicans have accused Obama of overstepping his authority with executive orders on immigration and other matters.

The authority to nominate federal judges, however, clearly rests with the president, subject of course to the Senate's "advice and consent."

Both of Texas' senators, Cruz and John Cornyn, the deputy majority leader, serve on the Judiciary Committee, which screens nominees to the high court and lower federal benches.

[Grey Fox]

That's a lot of bullshit.

[grumbler]

I think that we owe it to him, and the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President after this next one names the new justice.  Four years and eleven months is too short a time for the American people to  have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. 

[jimmy olsen]

This is particularly good news for Trump if he wins the nomination.  I think there would have been quite a few conservatives who would have sat out the election and not voted if he won, but with a new justice on the table, they will feel like they have no choice but to support him. And not just at the polls, he'll have a lot more volunteers and donations.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Trump would nominate Nancy Grace tho.

[Josquius]

The republicans really do hate democracy dont they

[Eddie Teach]

This is particularly good news for Trump if he wins the nomination.  I think there would have been quite a few conservatives who would have sat out the election and not voted if he won, but with a new justice on the table, they will feel like they have no choice but to support him. And not just at the polls, he'll have a lot more volunteers and donations.

But how much do they trust him? I think this gives them more reason to stop him in the primary.

[Razgovory]

That's a lot of bullshit.

Of course it is, the people did have a choice and who nominates the next Judge.  They made that choice back in 2012.