Justice Antonin Scalia Dead at 79

[Alicja]

 

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/feb/13/supreme-court-justice-antonin-scalia-dead-at-79?CMP=fb_gu

He was reportedly on a hunting trip in Texas when his body was found.

Mum yelled to me from the other room and the only response I could come up with was "oh".

[Whoosh]

Thanks for sharing this Alicja.  I would like to thank Scalia and his family for their many years of service to our country.  RIP Justice Scalia.  

[Alicja]

Thanks for sharing this Alicja.  I would like to thank Scalia and his family for their many years of service to our country.  RIP Justice Scalia.  

I am certainly not a fan of him but he did his job and I cannot fault him for that.

[sparkles]

I'm sorry for his family and that's it. No thanks from me for "doing his job." And whether he did it well is certainly up for debate. 

[Whoosh]

4 minutes ago, Alicja said:

I am certainly not a fan of him but he did his job and I cannot fault him for that.

I didn't always see things the way Justice Scalia did, but he was undoubtedly a very intelligent, dedicated, hard working, quick-witted, and humorous man.  He leaves bit shoes to fill regardless of differences in views on some topics.

[notfundy]

17 minutes ago, sparkles said:

I'm sorry for his family and that's it. No thanks from me for "doing his job." And whether he did it well is certainly up for debate. 

Yes.    This exactly.    I cannot even imagine how hard the Republicans are going to try to block whoever Obama selects.  This development is arguably as important - or more - than the presidential race.

Perhaps we'll see this headline  "Obama appoints himself to high court  ...in advance" .  LOL.   But seriously, history will look kindly upon Obama ... he is thoughtful and is both a gentleman and a scholar.  

RIP Antonin Scalia.  

[47of74]

Discretion being the better part of valor I will just say thank you and rest in peace to Scalia.

[Runningfromreality]

Whether or not you agree with his political views, I always thought Scalia got a way worse reputation than he deserved. He was a very thoughtful and bright man who stood up for what he believed in. I certainly did not agree with all of his opinions, but I have seen people commenting on articles about his death with links to "ding dong the witch is dead" on youtube. Frankly, I think we, as a country and as human beings, can do better for someone who dedicated a large part of his life to this country. 

Edited to add: And let's remember, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman much more intelligent than most of us managed to separate the man from the views and was good friends with Justice Scalia. I think a lot of people would do well to follow her example in so many ways.

[ADoyle90815]

19 minutes ago, Runningfromreality said:

Whether or not you agree with his political views, I always thought Scalia got a way worse reputation than he deserved. He was a very thoughtful and bright man who stood up for what he believed in. I certainly did not agree with all of his opinions, but I have seen people commenting on articles about his death with links to "ding dong the witch is dead" on youtube. Frankly, I think we, as a country and as human beings, can do better for someone who dedicated a large part of his life to this country. 

Edited to add: And let's remember, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman much more intelligent than most of us managed to separate the man from the views and was good friends with Justice Scalia. I think a lot of people would do well to follow her example in so many ways.

I agree with this. I think more people, especially politicians should look to his friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a way to look past political differences.

[Whoosh]

8 minutes ago, ADoyle90815 said:

I agree with this. I think more people, especially politicians should look to his friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a way to look past political differences.

This is a good point.  And imagine what certain people will have to say when the bell tolls for RBG.  

[violynn]

I wonder if Congress will let anyone Obama appoints anywhere near the Confirmation hearings?

[ShepherdontheRock]

Rest in peace.

 

Well...shit's about to get REALLY interesting.

[apandaaries]

I found a lot of Scalia's comments reprehensible, most recently his remarks about Black people at universities.  I feel for his family, but mainly, I'm excited that Obama will hopefully get to appoint another Supreme Court justice.  

[Toothfairy]

1 hour ago, notfundy said:

Yes.    This exactly.    I cannot even imagine how hard the Republicans are going to try to block whoever Obama selects.  This development is arguably as important - or more - than the presidential race.

Perhaps we'll see this headline  "Obama appoints himself to high court  ...in advance" .  LOL.   But seriously, history will look kindly upon Obama ... he is thoughtful and is both a gentleman and a scholar.  

RIP Antonin Scalia.  

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_56bfabe4e4b08ffac1258cf5

 

They didn't waste anytime

[Kira]

1 hour ago, Runningfromreality said:

Whether or not you agree with his political views, I always thought Scalia got a way worse reputation than he deserved. He was a very thoughtful and bright man who stood up for what he believed in. I certainly did not agree with all of his opinions, but I have seen people commenting on articles about his death with links to "ding dong the witch is dead" on youtube. Frankly, I think we, as a country and as human beings, can do better for someone who dedicated a large part of his life to this country. 

Edited to add: And let's remember, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman much more intelligent than most of us managed to separate the man from the views and was good friends with Justice Scalia. I think a lot of people would do well to follow her example in so many ways.

This is why some people are "celebrating" his death:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/12/10/read-the-most-controversial-statement-by-justice-scalia-on-admissions-and-race/

 

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/scalia-worst-things-said-written-about-homosexuality-court

 

[Ms Lucy Fur]

My brother texted me with the news. My first thought was, we will get a less conservative justice before our President leaves office, my second thought was that Justice RBG has lost her opera buddy and I felt sad for her, but then I remembered we are in a battle to keep the assholes trying to "take back the country" from having free reign and I smiled a bit. I am always sad when a family loses someone, but it couldn't have happened at a better time, so thanks Justice Scalia. Wishing you a safe journey home!

[Cactus]

Forgive my ignorance on the topic but as Justice Scalia was a well-known conservative, does this mean President Obama is obliged to appoint another conservative justice? (I would imagine any attempts to appoint a liberal or even moderate judge would be shot down by Congress quick-smart)

[Whoosh]

1 minute ago, Cactus said:

Forgive my ignorance on the topic but as Justice Scalia was a well-known conservative, does this mean President Obama is obliged to appoint another conservative justice? (I would imagine any attempts to appoint a liberal or even moderate judge would be shot down by Congress quick-smart)

He is not obligated to, no.  However I think you are correct that Obama has little to no chance of getting a liberal or even a moderate seated on the bench.  Honestly, I don't even know if Obama could get a conservative seated to the bench.  

Maybe we should bump or start a new SCOTUS thread?  Just a thought.

[Ms Lucy Fur]

1 minute ago, Cactus said:

Forgive my ignorance on the topic but as Justice Scalia was a well-known conservative, does this mean President Obama is obliged to appoint another conservative justice? (I would imagine any attempts to appoint a liberal or even moderate judge would be shot down by Congress quick-smart)

No, he's not required to, but he will have to find a compromise so the Republicans can save face. 

[VelociRapture]

My sympathies go out to his loved ones. I personally am very glad he is no longer in a position of power, but I'm sorry death was the reason.

I found his views, beliefs, and actions on many topics to be repugnant. I don't celebrate his death, but I'm not about to pass judgement on those members of groups he demonized and marginalized that are celebrating - they dealt with being the targets of his hate for a long time and I can't truthfully claim I wouldn't be celebrating if I were in their shoes.

1 minute ago, Cactus said:

Forgive my ignorance on the topic but as Justice Scalia was a well-known conservative, does this mean President Obama is obliged to appoint another conservative justice? (I would imagine any attempts to appoint a liberal or even moderate judge would be shot down by Congress quick-smart)

No. Obama can appoint anyone he sees fit for the position. The person is subject to vetting and approval from Congress though, so I wouldn't be surprised if they drag their feet until the next President is inaugurated - they'd have a chance of having a conservative President doing the appointing that way.  

[Runningfromreality]

8 minutes ago, Kira said:

This is why some people are "celebrating" his death:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/12/10/read-the-most-controversial-statement-by-justice-scalia-on-admissions-and-race/

 

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/scalia-worst-things-said-written-about-homosexuality-court

 

I know exactly why people are celebrating his death. I've read way too many opinions that he's authored and am well aware of his bigoted beliefs. I really think people are losing sight of civil intellectual discourse and are, instead, so entrenched in their own views that they cannot see that there are people on the other side, not monsters. IMHO, being able to get along with (not agree with, maybe not even like, but get along with) people with differing views is a necessary skill that has been lost in this country. I think it's making a toxic environment for almost everyone and making it even harder to get anything done. And I certainly don't think celebrating the death of someone you ardently disagree with makes anything better. 

[Kira]

7 minutes ago, Runningfromreality said:

I know exactly why people are celebrating his death. I've read way too many opinions that he's authored and am well aware of his bigoted beliefs. I really think people are losing sight of civil intellectual discourse and are, instead, so entrenched in their own views that they cannot see that there are people on the other side, not monsters. IMHO, being able to get along with (not agree with, maybe not even like, but get along with) people with differing views is a necessary skill that has been lost in this country. I think it's making a toxic environment for almost everyone and making it even harder to get anything done. And I certainly don't think celebrating the death of someone you ardently disagree with makes anything better. 

This isn't just about differing views. His rulings made life difficult for many people, especially minorities.

[infooverload]

Does anyone know how long the process can get dragged out? Any idea of candidates, who may be on the short list.

[Whoosh]

4 minutes ago, Kira said:

This isn't just about differing views. His rulings made life difficult for some people, especially minorities. 

I totally agree.  For me, if I allowed myself to hate Scalia, I would open the gates for hate towards so very many people.  I don't want that in my life.  I totally understand why others feel differently.  He did have some admirable qualities, but I did hate many of his views, opinions, statements, and votes.  I am beyond delighted that he is no longer on the bench - I am sadder than I ever imagined I would be over how it happened.  That is probably due to my projecting some things onto the man.  I would think most people would like to retire and enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of hard work, but I know some actually don't want that.  Often, though, I feel like SCOTUS Justices don't feel they have a choice they can make in good conscience.  

[pnwgypsy]

Love the Onion.  

Justice Scalia Dead Following 30-Year Battle With Social Progress

http://www.theonion.com/graphic/justice-scalia-dead-following-30-year-battle-socia-52356

I got the notification on my microsoft band from CNN...however I got the one about replacing him & the election before the one about him being dead so I was a bit confused first.  Oh please let Obama replace him.  Oh please let it not be a conservative.