Antonin Scalia dead at 79

[fohat.digs]

Scalia apparently died in his sleep last night, after a party in Texas.

Although filling court vacancies should be a high priority at every level, this replacement is certain to be stonewalled relentlessly in the face of the upcoming election.

[bcredbottle]

Ted Cruz is still on the judiciary committee so yeah, expect ****ing pandemonium during this confirmation process

[Waateva]

This election is about to get quite a bit more interesting.

[Findecanor]

Scalia was one of the judges who voted to halt Obama's climate-change initiative only a couple of days ago.

I'd say that he deserved to die, and I hope it was slow and painful. If only he had died a couple days sooner ...

[Steezus]

Scalia was one of the judges who voted to halt Obama's climate-change initiative only a couple of days ago.

I'd say that he deserved to die, and I hope it was slow and painful. If only he had died a couple days sooner ...

Wow...all of that just because he doesn't share the same views as you.

[fohat.digs]

voted to halt Obama's climate-change initiative only a couple of days ago.

just because he doesn't share the same views as you.

He was a deeply ugly and hateful man, but it seems that he went in his sleep, which has got to be the easiest way.

Without him, the court does swing more towards the direction of sanity. Perhaps there will be some more rational rulings in coming months.

[Steezus]

voted to halt Obama's climate-change initiative only a couple of days ago.

just because he doesn't share the same views as you.

He was a deeply ugly and hateful man, but it seems that he went in his sleep, which has got to be the easiest way.

Without him, the court does swing more towards the direction of sanity. Perhaps there will be some more rational rulings in coming months.

I'm not saying that he's right by any means but wishing a pain and slowful death on somebody is obscene.

[nubbinator]

More

voted to halt Obama's climate-change initiative only a couple of days ago.

just because he doesn't share the same views as you.

He was a deeply ugly and hateful man, but it seems that he went in his sleep, which has got to be the easiest way.

Without him, the court does swing more towards the direction of sanity. Perhaps there will be some more rational rulings in coming months.

I'm not saying that he's right by any means but wishing a pain and slowful death on somebody is obscene.

Completely agree.  Scalia was often bat**** insane and far too often decided that you could dictate morality, but I'd still want him to pass quickly and easily.

Now Cheny, on the other hand...

[fohat.digs]

Now Cheny, on the other hand...

If Hell exists, Cheney is certain to be at the bottom of the deepest pit for all of eternity. Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz will be there with him.

[Findecanor]

Wow...all of that just because he doesn't share the same views as you.

This is not about some "views". This is not about abortion, gay marriage or gun control or some other local issue.
It is the survival of life on our only planet that we are talking about.
Working for halting action on climate change is like working to have a global thermonuclear war - that is the scale of the issue.
If you work knowingly and willingly to destroy the lives and livelyhood of everyone around you for a time-span of hundreds, maybe thousands of years and the eradication of thousands of species just to uphold the profits of a handful of wealthy companies for a decade or two then you're a scumbag in the same category as a supervillain in a James Bond movie. Even if you don't believe in the death penalty (I don't), you can still say about those scumbags that the world would have been better without them.

Obama's climate initiative would have been too little, too late, but it would still have been a step in the right direction: something to base something better upon.
I'm afraid that this ruling has pulled USA back 30 years on the issue of climate change.

[fohat.digs]

Mitch McConnell has already promised, in public, to block any nominee to fill the vacant seat until after the next election. With almost a full year remaining in Obama's 4-year term, that would seem to be an outrageous dereliction of duty.

The oath of office sworn by public officials says that they will fulfill their lawful duties - stating in advance that you will not do so is truly an impeachable offense.

[Waateva]

Mitch McConnell has already promised, in public, to block any nominee to fill the vacant seat until after the next election. With almost a full year remaining in Obama's 4-year term, that would seem to be an outrageous dereliction of duty.

The oath of office sworn by public officials says that they will fulfill their lawful duties - stating in advance that you will not do so is truly an impeachable offense.

I wonder if they actually will actively try to block the seat and risk losing the whole election while being viewed as obstructionists or if they figure their base won't care and instead go for it full bore?

[bcredbottle]

Mitch McConnell has already promised, in public, to block any nominee to fill the vacant seat until after the next election. With almost a full year remaining in Obama's 4-year term, that would seem to be an outrageous dereliction of duty.

The oath of office sworn by public officials says that they will fulfill their lawful duties - stating in advance that you will not do so is truly an impeachable offense.

I wonder if they actually will actively try to block the seat and risk losing the whole election while being viewed as obstructionists or if they figure their base won't care and instead go for it full bore?

At least until the primaries are over, definitely don't see anyone providing any significant incentive to be reasonable.

Except of course THAT IT WOULD BE ****ING INSANE TO HAVE NO MAJORITY IN OUR NATION'S HIGHEST COURT FOR A WHOLE YEAR


Currrently they're spinning it under the bull**** idea that it's more democratic to have the next president pick the replacement (why? I mean the Constitution says otherwise so...)

[fohat.digs]

I wonder if they actually will actively try to block the seat and risk losing the whole election while being viewed as obstructionists or if they figure their base won't care and instead go for it full bore?

Currrently they're spinning it under the bull**** idea that it's more democratic to have the next president pick the replacement

The Radical Right is always eager to do anything to oppose anything that Barak Obama attempts to achieve, regardless of the collateral damage.

If this were the final days of a president's term, the "next guy" argument might make some sense, or even a lame duck situation. But with nearly a year remaining in the term, stalling now is unconscionable.

[Air tree]

It's going to be pretty damaging and actually break records to stall for basically a whole year...


Or maybe the GOP will be looked at as heros for stalling, who knows. 

[vivalarevolución]

Scalia was a hater of certain groups of people, so he made it quite easy to not rue his death.

I would give my standard line of "don't hate the player, hate the game."   But come on, some people just are not likeable.

Do the world a favor and don't be a hater.  The last thing this world needs is more hate and negativity.

Also, The Onion has done well again: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/justice-scalia-dead-following-30-year-battle-socia-52356

[noisyturtle]

Obvious murder plot is obvious

[cmadrid]

In the event of ties the lower courts ruling stands, and Obama has gotten most of the appeals courts filled with people he has picked.. I'm not sure the Republicans are going to like a full year of decisions not going their way

[fohat.digs]

Obama has gotten most of the appeals courts filled with people he has picked

That is utterly ridiculous. Republican obstructionists have kept posts unfilled for years.

Over 80 vacancies where less than half even have pending nominees hardly counts as "courts filled with people"

http://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/current-judicial-vacancies

[berserkfan]

Scalia was a hater of certain groups of people, so he made it quite easy to not rue his death.

I would give my standard line of "don't hate the player, hate the game."   But come on, some people just are not likeable.

Do the world a favor and don't be a hater.  The last thing this world needs is more hate and negativity.

Also, The Onion has done well again: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/justice-scalia-dead-following-30-year-battle-socia-52356

I don't consider Scalia a hater.

He has no heart, so how does he have the passion to hate?

I would be quite amazed if he died of a heart attack.