Obama, Republicans battle over US Supreme Court vacancy

The sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a towering conservative icon on the US Supreme Court, has started an election-year fight for his successor who is set to shape and determine how the American life will be in the future.

Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, died of an apparent heart attack and left a conservative-dominated court divided in a year of issues on abortion, immigration, affirmative action, and even US President Barack Obama's health care law, Inquirer shared. 

Scalia's sudden death sent shockwaves to the White House, seeding deep implications for Democratic and Republican candidates who want to fill the vacancy in favor of their respective parties.

Nonetheless, President Obama announced he would exercise his "constitutional responsibilities" and name a successor to Scalia in "due time".

Republicans, however, are determined to block any nomination Obama puts forth, claiming the successor should be named by the next president.

"It's been over 80 years now since in the last year of the last term of a sitting president there isn't Supreme Court nominees - there's a reason for that,"  Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio said.

Although there was one Supreme Court Justice who was confirmed in an election year, 1988, but according to ABC News, the vacancy was made in the middle of 1987.

Meanwhile, the opposing party defended Obama's right to offer a new Supreme Court Justice, urging him to assign a replacement immediately.

"With so many important issues pending before the Supreme Court, the Senate has a responsibility to fill vacancies as soon as possible," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid argued, as reported by NBC. "It would be unprecedented in recent history for the Supreme Court to go a year with a vacant seat. Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate's most essential Constitutional responsibilities." 

According to South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, it's possible for Senate Republicans and Obama to find a "consensus choice." But the name he suggested, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican, is unlikely to earn support from Democrats. 

Either way, the process poses risks for both parties.

For Republicans, not only they could lose this coming presidential election, but the control of the Senate as well, giving the incoming Democratic president the opportunity to name a more liberal candidate for the vacancy. 

For Democrats, if they cannot assign someone before Obama's term is over, Republicans could create a majority on the Supreme Court by picking a younger conservative to fill in Scalia's spot.

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U.S. Supreme Court, US President Barack Obama, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia death, Justice Antonin Scalia, US Supreme Court, Democrats, Republicans, 2016 Presidential Elections

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