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| Television news crews set up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. On Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Justice Antonin Scalia has died at the age of 79. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Justice Antonin Scalia's death immediately sparked a new
and heated election-year fight over whether President Barack Obama
should fill the high court vacancy, with Republicans on Capitol Hill and
on the campaign trail arguing the nomination should fall to the next
president.
"The American people should have a
voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice," Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "Therefore, this vacancy should
not be filled until we have a new president."
His position was echoed by a pair of senators seeking the GOP presidential nomination: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Democrats
were outraged. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the chamber's top Democrat
said Obama should send the Senate a nominee "right away."
He
noted that the court is considering a number of major issues and said,
"It would be unprecedented in recent history for the Supreme Court to go
a year with a vacant seat."
Obama was
traveling in California. The White House issued a statement offering
condolences to Scalia's family but did not provide any details about
whether Obama planned to nominate a replacement.
Before
Scalia's death, the court was ideologically split with many 5-4
decisions. The remaining justices are generally divided among four
conservative votes and four liberal votes - leaving the next nominee
crucial to the court's direction, potentially for years to come.
Current
cases that already have been argued by the court but not decided
involve Obama's executive orders easing immigration rules for many
people in the country illegally, a Texas case that could increase
Hispanics' voting strength, another Texas case challenging affirmative
action rules at the University of Texas, a California case challenging
employee unions' practice of requiring public school teachers to pay
dues for union activities and yet another Texas case challenging a law
that could force many clinics offering abortion services to close.
When
there is a 4-4 tie, a distinct possibility this spring, the result is
basically to affirm the lower court decision before the case came to the
Supreme Court. On a major issue, the high court would be likely to
rehear the case once it had its full membership.
