U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia dead at 79

[FreakyLocz14]

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died today at ate 79, BBC reports. This presents the first opportunity for President Obama to make a true dynamic-shifting SCOTUS appointment in the final year of his presidency. The 2 other Justices he appointed, Sotomayor and Kagan, replaced already liberal justcies. With the U.S. Senate in Republican hands, however, it will be difficult to get a liberal replacement confirmed. A moderate like a Justice Kennedy could like he appointed as a compromise

Discuss.

 

[Ivysaur]

There is a 90% chance the Supreme Court will be left with 8 justices until a) the Republicans win the White House or b) the Democrats get a supermajority in the Senate.

And I wouldn't reject the possibility of, in case a) happens, the Democrats repaying the Republicans in kind and filibustering any candidate until the end of times.

 

[Livewire]

If I'm Obama, I call McConnell's bluff here - if the Republicans filibuster and delay the Supreme Court nomination, they get pegged as being obstructionist (again) which (On top of Trump, Cruz, etc) could hurt the image of the party in November, given that this is a presidential and not midterm electorate, which is friendlier to democrats in races. It's either focus on winning the white house or maintaining the current supreme court dynamic, they can't have both.

Also shame on Mitch McConnell for his willingness to delve this country into an unprecedented constitutional crisis just to maintain the current Supreme Court's dynamic. What a coward.

 

[Fen-Fen]

RIP. He was a bad dude, but he at least deserves an RIP. Now if we can get someone who isn't so racist and bigoted on the Supreme Court we can do lots of change in this country, especially if Sanders were able to pick. Boy, when you thought the stakes of the 2016 elections couldn't get any higher...

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

If I'm Obama, I call McConnell's bluff here - if the Republicans filibuster and delay the Supreme Court nomination, they get pegged as being obstructionist (again) which (On top of Trump, Cruz, etc) could hurt the image of the party in November, given that this is a presidential and not midterm electorate, which is friendlier to democrats in races. It's either focus on winning the white house or maintaining the current supreme court dynamic, they can't have both.

Also shame on Mitch McConnell for his willingness to delve this country into an unprecedented constitutional crisis just to maintain the current Supreme Court's dynamic. What a coward.

If I were McConell I would probably try to get Obama to appoint a moderate judge, and focus on the Presidential election. The chances of a justice retiring or dying in the next four years is decently high, so it can easily be shifted back if congress remains in the hands of the Republicans.