At age 79.

He never missed a chance to fuck a minority.

This is huge news! I hate to celebrate the death of another human being but this douchebag was very bad for our country. Now the huge question: Does Obama get to appoint his successor or will that fall to the next President?

Obama gets to pick,


-HOWEVER-


The dem/rep ratio in the senate will greatly constrain the possibilities. (And please do not forget the risk of appointing another Souter) This is going to make for an interesting time.

Yeah, in the current polarized climate, even a someone viewed as a 'centrist' might not garner any republican votes, and if the democratic nominee is looking shaky in the run against Trump or Cruz or Rubio, Obama might muff his chance and it gets handed off to next prez.

Oh I hate it when the need arises to talk like a callous asshole. But boy he won't be missed...

Wow he died? Will Obama get to appoint his replacement, or will they wait for the next prez? Jeeze, I'm not sure which I hope will happen. If Trump actually gets into office, then I sure as hell hope Obama appoints before he exits the post.

I'd almost wonder, if Obama appointed Scalia (!!) since Obama made the appointment, that Scalia might not garner a single republican vote.


And don't underestimate the risk of another Souter. That could be a freaking disaster.

(February 13, 2016 at 6:35 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: Obama gets to pick,


-HOWEVER-


The dem/rep ratio in the senate will greatly constrain the possibilities. (And please do not forget the risk of appointing another Souter)  This is going to make for an interesting time.

So what happens if Congress stonewalls his pick until after inauguration?

For our younger members here, Bush 41 let Sununu vet Souter, and Souter turned out to be a closet liberal, despite his case record. Now in that case, it worked out in that Bush's desire to stack the court with 'ironclad' conserv-a-droids failed, but Obama might make the same mistake in reverse and really screw the pooch.

Of course, such a candidate, ironically, might not garner enough Republican votes to confirm, which is pretty weird if you think about it.

If the Senate just rejects pick after pick for no good reason other than it's Obama making the pick, that could be used against them politically. The Democrats need to do everything in their power to appoint his replacement. It's especially important because if a Republican wins the Presidency, the winner will probably get to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I can't see her holding out for another 4 years and certainly not 8.