This is huge news. Any time a Supreme Court seat opens up, it's a big deal. They can have an enormous effect on the country for a long time.

Any nomination from Obama will likely be blocked by the GoP at this point in his lame duck presidency, additionally it creates another wrinkle as Justices Ginsberg and Kennedy are likely to retire during the next Presidency. Make no mistake, this makes the next presidency that much more important.

This is going to be like adding another ring to what is already a three-ring circus. Hopefully it won't turn into another Bork situation.

Maybe Obama should decline to nominate anyone and just let Trump handle it when he takes over?

Eh, dude was almost eighty, and died peacefully after attending a party. This is about as far from tragic as a death can get.

Anyways, I guess we'll only have eight Justices for at least another year.

You think they'd hold a Supreme Court nomination for a year? I would think that they'd get pounded by democrats and probably the media for holding it for that long.

The longest time between a nomination and a confirmation so far has been 125 days, they really think they can push more than 340?

Where there's a will!

Judge Judy, time to step up!

Given the partisan divide in the Senate, I have no doubt that the GoP will attemp to block it.   And given the implications in the upcoming election, I would imagine the GoP would regard it as protecting something or other etc... (you know, typical political/party based mumbo jumbo...not just a GoP thing, Dems do it too).   I mean, Obama could nominate a centrist or something like that, but at this point the two sides are so entrenched in their partisan bickering, I don't see it mattering who he nominates.

Part of the issue will be that any Republican who does vote in favor, will be inviting another GoP challenger to attack them on that very point.  And many people in Congress are very much interested in keeping/expanding their power.

Senate Majority leader McConnell says that Obama should not be filling the vacancy of Antonin Scalia in a statement he just put out:

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Saturday on the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia:

“Today our country lost an unwavering champion of a timeless document that unites each of us as Americans. Justice Scalia’s fidelity to the Constitution was rivaled only by the love of his family: his wife Maureen his nine children, and his many grandchildren. Through the sheer force of his intellect and his legendary wit, this giant of American jurisprudence almost singlehandedly revived an approach to constitutional interpretation that prioritized the text and original meaning of the Constitution. Elaine and I send our deepest condolences to the entire Scalia family.

“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.”

I don't want anyone else appointed that agrees with Obamacare. All Supreme Court members need to be removed from their seats if they don't find it unconstitutional to FORCE people to have Healthcare.