SO SAD: US SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SCALIA DIES

US Supreme Court Justice Scalia dies

One of the most conservative members of the US Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia, has died.

He died in his sleep early on Saturday while in West Texas for hunting trip, the US Marshalls Service said.

Scalia’s death immediately triggered a monumental election-year battle in Washington over whether President Barack Obama should choose a successor who could tilt the Supreme Court toward liberals.

Within two hours of Scalia’s death being reported, presidential candidates along with Republican and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill were feuding over whether Obama should appoint a replacement for the eloquent and outspoken Scalia or wait for the next administration to make a decision.

The battle lines underscored the huge political stakes in the 2016 election, which could cement the ideological balance of the court for years to come.

Obama said on Saturday that he would nominate a successor “in due time,” but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted the next administration should make the appointment.

Justice Scalia’s death could shift the balance of power on the US high court, allowing President Barack Obama to add a fifth liberal justice to the bench.

The court’s conservative 5-4 majority has recently stalled major efforts by the Obama administration on climate change and immigration.

Justice Scalia, 79, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

“For almost 30 years, Justice Scalia was a larger-than-life presence on the bench,” President Obama said, calling him “an extraordinary judicial thinker” with “an incisive wit”.

“He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. “His passing is a great loss to the court and the country he so loyally served.”

Born in 1936 in Trenton, New Jersey, Justice Scalia was the first Italian American to serve on the high court.

He was one of the most prominent proponents of “originalism” – a conservative legal philosophy that believes the US Constitution has a fixed meaning and does not change with the times.

In 2008, Justice Scalia delivered the opinion in District of Columbia v Heller, a landmark case that affirmed an individual’s right to possess a handgun.

Throughout his career, the outspoken justice has been a vocal opponent of abortion and gay rights, often writing scathing dissenting opinions.

In the majority, he supported business interests and was a strong advocate for the death penalty, but he often parted with his conservative colleagues on issues of free speech.

He was known for his sense of humour and colourful language, calling efforts to defend President Obama’s healthcare reform law “jiggery-pokery” and “pure applesauce”.

Justice Scalia was an avid questioner during the court’s oral arguments and has been credited with livening up proceedings.

His biting legal opinions and colourful persona made him a celebrity in conservative legal circles and, to a lesser extent, among the general public.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on Saturday that the new justice should be selected after the presidential election.

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,” he said.

His stance was echoed by Republican presidential candidates including senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Senator Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the chamber, called the move to delay the confirmation “unprecedented”.

“The Republicans in the Senate and on the campaign trail who are calling for Justice Scalia’s seat to remain vacant dishonour our constitution,” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said. “The Senate has a constitutional responsibility here that it cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons.”

The Supreme Court will continue to hear cases during the current term, with or without a replacement, including a major case involving abortion rights.

US Supreme Court justices are appointed to life terms by the president with the approval of the US Senate.

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