Did you hear Scalia died?

Eh, he would have made the United States a pseudo-theocracy if he could have. I have little respect for someone like that.

And nothing of value was lost.

I can’t imagine the Senate allowing Obama to appoint anyone, wanting to save the seat for the next administration.
Yet, considering the 4 frontrunners, Trump, Cruz, Sanders, and Hillary, how can the next administration be less divisive?
That said, I hope Scalia was able to take some ice water with him. I am told he’ll want some.

Yes, the “Washington Post” broke the story about an hour ago.

I hate to think that I’m this hard-hearted, but I feel no sadness. My reactions were, “What a relief,” and “How will Clarence Thomas manage to think for himself?”

@filmfann

Well the president can make an appointment to the SCOTUS in the interim. This would only be a short term thing, however, and the appointment would have be confirmed by the Senate eventually.

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. He was a reactionary piece of crap.

Last summer, Scalia walked up the aisle, and right past my seat, at a Baltimore Orioles game. One of my friends asked me why I hadn’t thrown my beer at Scalia. Well, I’d been drinking a soda, and tossing a Diet Coke on someone simply doesn’t have the same effect.

Please Republicans, spend the next 324 days blocking Obama’s nominees. Democrats tend to win when turnout is high. A President and Supreme Court justice on the line is like turning a Scratcher into Powerball. Voter turnout will be the greatest.

And considering a 5–4 Republican majority court is responsible Citizens United and nearly everyone hates that the ads pretty much write them-self.

I don’t see how they can block appointing a justice for 11 months, but if they do, this will really motivate people to vote I think.

Has it happened before in history that we only had 8 on the court during a presidential election?

@JLeslie

I don’t know the answer to your specific question, but the number of SCOTUS Justices isn’t set in the Constitution or anywhere else. So it’s varied pretty widely over time. I believe the SCOTUS has been as few as 5 seats and as many as 12. The current 9 seats has just kinda become the default by tradition.