Crisis: Justice Scalia Dead at 79

Posted on | February 14, 2016 | 152 Comments

The voice of conservatism on the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia, died Saturday at age 79. As soon as I heard the news, the scale of the disaster was apparent. On most cases where conservatives prevailed, the majority was 5-4, and to allow President Obama to replace Scalia with a liberal would tilt the court decidedly to the Left. Therefore, this unexpected vacancy in the final year of Obama’s term produces a crisis. The Republican-controlled Senate will almost certainly attempt to block whoever Obama nominates, and this high-profile political battle in Washington will be fought out during a presidential election year. With the nation already teetering on the brink of political revolution — if the Democrats win the election, the GOP may shatter into incoherent fragments, with unknown consequences — the death of Scalia brings into sharp focus the issues confronting America in the 21st century.

Senior U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia found dead at West Texas ranch
— San Antonio News-Express

BREAKING: Supreme Court Justice Scalia
dies during hunting trip in Marfa
— KVIA-TV

Scalia’s death plunges court,
national politics into turmoil
— Washington Post

GOP candidates urge Senate to block
Obama’s Supreme Court pick
— Yahoo

Mitch McConnell rules out replacing
Antonin Scalia until new president is elected
— Washington Times

McConnell throws down the gauntlet:
No Scalia replacement under Obama
— Politico

Grassley joins call to delay
Supreme Court nomination
— Des Moines Register

Category: Supreme Court

Comments

152 Responses to “Crisis: Justice Scalia Dead at 79”

Wombat_socho
February 15th, 2016 @ 11:17 pm

He’s said he wouldn’t, but he’s lied before.
Wombat_socho
February 15th, 2016 @ 11:18 pm

That was Bismarck’s line, and it wasn’t complimentary: “God looks after fools, drunks, and the United States of America.”
Wombat_socho
February 15th, 2016 @ 11:20 pm

Sadly, I’ve seen enough of that “scholarship” to know you aren’t kidding.
Joe Guelph
February 16th, 2016 @ 1:01 am

Rest in peace, Justice Scalia.
Bernice Reeves
February 16th, 2016 @ 7:09 am

?my .friend’s mate Is getting 98$. HOURLY. on the internet.?….two days ago new McLaren. F1 bought after earning 18,512$,,,this was my previous month’s paycheck ,and-a little over, 17k$ Last month ..3-5 h/r of work a days ..with extra open doors & weekly. paychecks.. it’s realy the easiest work I have ever Do.. I Joined This 7 months ago and now making over 87$, p/h.Learn. More right Here!b508????? http://GlobalSuperEmploymentVacanciesReportsStandardGetSpot/98$hourly…. .?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:::::!b508……
Bernice Reeves
February 16th, 2016 @ 7:09 am

?my .friend’s mate Is getting 98$. HOURLY. on the internet.?….two days ago new McLaren. F1 bought after earning 18,512$,,,this was my previous month’s paycheck ,and-a little over, 17k$ Last month ..3-5 h/r of work a days ..with extra open doors & weekly. paychecks.. it’s realy the easiest work I have ever Do.. I Joined This 7 months ago and now making over 87$, p/h.Learn. More right Here!b508????? http://GlobalSuperEmploymentVacanciesReportsStandardGetSpot/98$hourly…. .?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:?2:::::!b508…..
Art Deco
February 16th, 2016 @ 7:44 am

Aye, but its evidently not an iron-clad requirement under Texas law. The JP in question said she talked to the police and Scalia’s home-town doctor and ruled the death one of natural causes on that basis. The undertaker handling the body told the press the family requested no autopsy be done. It’s pretty half-assed, However, other than some swatches of Montana, Utah, and Nevada, there’s no part of the lower 48 where you’re more out in the middle of nowhere than in the desert zone of Texas. The nearest town is 40 miles away and there are fewer than 2,000 people resident in that town.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:19 am

There are places like that in Oregon, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona as well.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:21 am

“Leakey” Leahy knows about dereliction of duty. He does it soooo well.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:25 am

A nation is a people with a common heritage and common hope for the future. In short, a nation is a people. The US population, OTOH, has never been a nation and was never meant to be.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:33 am

Looks like I’m wrong. As pointed out in the Fox article linked below, Article Section 2, para 3 says,

3: The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session”
Note that it does not qualify the branch of government. So he could make a recess appointment to SCOTUS. I’ve never heard of any POTUS doing it, but Obama might be the first. That’s a can of worms, however, he would be very wise not to open.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:35 am

Biden isn’t the one that determines the calendar of the Senate. He’s basically there as a show piece and to break ties.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:36 am

Basically, they are just the reorganized Whig Party.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:37 am

We have a wise Latina, so we need a wise white male as balance.
Quartermaster
February 16th, 2016 @ 8:38 am

You left out the “former slave” part.
NeoWayland
February 16th, 2016 @ 9:04 am

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
— A. Lincoln

There’s the common hope for the future.
NeoWayland
February 16th, 2016 @ 9:07 am

I won’t kid you, I’ve a big problem with the “national destiny” thing.

I think that makes it too easy for politicos to claim Divine sanction.
DeadMessenger
February 16th, 2016 @ 2:01 pm

[gag]
DeadMessenger
February 16th, 2016 @ 2:19 pm

First, as was my point, if a nation has a majority of said “people”, then the two become defacto synonymous.

Then, two things: God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. And also, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

When God’s people prosper, others do, too. The understanding of this also depends on your definition of “prosper”. I personally would not define that word the same as, for example, Joel O’Steen would, that is for sure, but I do believe God’s provisional promises, and He has never let me down. When God’s judgment begins to fall upon the ungodly, then anyone in the vicinity is going to be affected, but Christians see this as an opportunity to comfort the afflicted and to share God’s love and mercy with them.
NeoWayland
February 16th, 2016 @ 4:49 pm

…” if a nation has a majority of said “people”, then the two become defacto synonymous.”

No, it doesn’t. Just as the U.S. is not a “white” nation, or a “male” nation, or a “Republican” nation.

We are a nation of individuals, of individual liberty and responsibilities, of individual choice and individual passion. We’re the first nation like that in recorded history, it is our legacy.

Our faiths, like Christianity, are a part of that.

Please think about this. You may believe that your God makes the sun rise, but your faith doesn’t control my actions. Likewise, my faith doesn’t control you.

We have to find common ground outside religion. Otherwise it’s a matter of whose religion is “in charge,” and that way will destroy liberty.
Evan3457
February 16th, 2016 @ 10:39 pm

Actually, that should be “victim of the legacy of slavery”. Actual former slaves still living would not be recognized as such by Democrats, as most would have been slaves held by Muslims.
DeadMessenger
February 16th, 2016 @ 10:58 pm

What nation in the history of the world offered citizens the most liberty and prosperity? And what was the dominant religion in that nation?

And then, when that dominant religion was no longer dominant, and indeed, where that religion’s God was tossed out of the public square along with those who spoke of Him, what began happening to that nation’s liberty?

Just sayin’.
NeoWayland
February 17th, 2016 @ 12:00 pm

Or it could have something to do with property rights and the free market.

Louisiana derives it’s title system from Spanish land grants so it’s very hard to show clear title to property. Which means it’s harder to borrow against property and invest in new enterprises without a natural resource like oil.

Hong Kong became the most market-oriented people on the planet with one of the biggest economies in the area.

There are other examples, but the bottom line is that you don’t need Divine intervention to explain a prosperous nation.

Or a poverty stricken one.
NeoWayland
February 17th, 2016 @ 12:11 pm

Time and time again I’ve emphasized that faith is a personal choice that can’t be imposed from the outside without ceasing to be faith.

It’s individual choice and individual responsibility to honor that faith. It’s between you and the Divine. No one else.

It’s been said that a the difference between a religious view and a spiritual view is that someone with a spiritual view doesn’t force anyone else to accept what they think.

Me, I just think too many people are into religion for the politics.
DeadMessenger
February 17th, 2016 @ 2:26 pm

I’ve also said a million times that God chooses us, we don’t choose Him. (John 6:44)

This is why I’m not attempting to influence your faith. The job of Christians is to share the gospel message, that is all. You already know the gospel message, so I don’t need to tell it to you. And you are free to believe as you will. There’s nothing I can do about that, nor would I want to.

I’m just saying that with faith comes blessings, and that it’s possible for even unbelievers to receive benefits from this process simply by being in the general vicinity.

However, as more people are now CINOs or apostates or heretics, or other types of unbelievers, the blessings are not as copious as they once were. Paul prophesied about an end times “falling away” and we’re seeing it.
NeoWayland
February 17th, 2016 @ 4:58 pm

You’re blaming people for not following your God.

It’s not about nations, it’s about individuals. It always was.
Quartermaster
February 17th, 2016 @ 8:13 pm

That is only in generic term, and you can read into it what you wish. Lincoln, however, lied, and he destroyed the republic the founders gave him.

The closest thing to a nation that exists today is the Israelis.
DeadMessenger
February 17th, 2016 @ 9:46 pm

I’m not blaming. Don’t know where you get that, when I just said that we don’t choose God, He chooses us. How can that possibly imply blame of individuals for failure to do what they cannot do? It’s like blaming a cat for not barking and a dog for not purring.
NeoWayland
February 18th, 2016 @ 6:44 am

Yes, Lincoln lied, manipulated, and pushed power to it’s limits. It wasn’t entirely his fault, it was “interesting times.” He did get a handful of things exactly right. The Gettysburg Address was one, that’s why a speech scrawled on the back of an envelope had such influence and emotional resonances.

If you don’t think the U.S. is a nation, then obviously there was no abandonment. Maybe it’s because His promise wasn’t about nations or collections of people.

It was always individual choice.
NeoWayland
February 18th, 2016 @ 6:48 am

“But now that the majority have rejected Him and indeed, are living in active disobedience, or have fallen into apostasy, we’re going to see a non-stop slide into oblivion in this country.”

That’s blame, in your own words.

Of course, maybe it wasn’t about the country. Or any country, really.

Maybe it’s about everyday people doing ordinary good. Just making their corner of the World a little better than when they found it.
DeadMessenger
February 18th, 2016 @ 3:51 pm

That’s not blame. That’s a commentary on the depravity that will come with increased immorality. Which we’re already starting to see. Again, I can’t blame a dog for licking its butt, because that is what dogs do. And depraved people will commit depraved acts because that is what they do.

Haven’t you noticed the increase in lawlessness and immorality since you were a kid? Is that everyday people doing ordinary good, and leaving the world a better place? I think it is sinful people feeling free to commit atrocities because there is less and less holding them back. And that in the future there will be nothing holding them back because the restrainer will no longer restrain.

I’m not sure how the world becoming a more immoral place fits into your model, NW.
Quartermaster
February 18th, 2016 @ 4:31 pm

Mencken nailed Lincoln. The Gettysburg address was poetry, and a lie start to finish. The South was fighting for self determination, and the North fighting to prevent it.

The founders gave the country a system that allowed a maximum of self determination within the bounds of a civil society. Lincoln destroyed that. He got nothing right, unless you were one of his handlers that could not permit what the South fought for.
NeoWayland
February 18th, 2016 @ 5:48 pm

So your God never promised favor to any modern nation. And therefore can’t withdraw it.

As I said.

As for Lincoln, I stand by what I said.
NeoWayland
February 18th, 2016 @ 6:02 pm

The blame is implicit.

“This shows once more that God does not have America’s back anymore.”

“…preached at the National Prayer Breakfast that God has abandoned the US.”

Those weren’t from you, but they are why I said what I did.

It is a false assumption that reeks of politics rather than faith.

The World isn’t worse, there are new challenges today. The “old ways” don’t work because we’re meant to live our lives and not relive the lives of our ancestors.
Quartermaster
February 18th, 2016 @ 6:45 pm

You’re welcome to stand by the lies all you like. That’s as you like to say, an individual choice.

Given what God said in His word, it would seem he didn’t grant favor to a thoroughly corrupt the North. They simply had more battalions. While it was said that the South was the last Christian Civilization, God never promised that Christians would win every battle they engaged in. He also never promised that sinful countries, such as the north, would lose them either.
NeoWayland
February 18th, 2016 @ 8:04 pm

You already conceded my point.

“With all due respect, the Christian God never promised He had America’s back.”

Thanks for playing.
DeadMessenger
February 19th, 2016 @ 1:15 am

Anyway, I don’t want to argue with you; at least, at this moment. We’re never going to agree on this topic. But I love you NW, and I enjoy talking to you. I wish you the best, and for God’s blessing upon you. Perhaps one day we’ll get a chance to argue fruitlessly face-to-face, LOL!
Quartermaster
February 19th, 2016 @ 6:29 am

I didn’t concede anything. You have a very strange standard for concession. It also presupposes debate, which I was not engaged in.

As for promising anything to a modern nation, you need to acquire a knowledge of scripture before you make such general statements. there are promises He made to any country in which He is God, not just ancient nations.

By the by, I wasn’t playing. I leave such things to children like yourself.
NeoWayland
February 19th, 2016 @ 7:51 am

My first post on this thread was simple. I said that the Christian God had not abandoned America because he never promised to have “America’s back.”

You’ve agreed with that.

The rest is makework.
NeoWayland
February 19th, 2016 @ 8:11 am

For politeness sake, I’ll delete my original answer before posting.

Good day to you, ma’am.
Quartermaster
February 19th, 2016 @ 3:46 pm

I wasn’t arguing that. I won’t argue with your imagination either. That’s a waste of time. There was nothing to concede.
NeoWayland
February 19th, 2016 @ 6:13 pm

Then why try so hard to distract me?
Quartermaster
February 19th, 2016 @ 10:03 pm

You’re simply a whiney little baby. Go back and read what I said, then come back. people nail you to the wall, such as DM above, and you then exercise your talent to posy nonsense.

You posted something, and I called you on your nonsense. I don’t do it
every time because I have a life. Frankly, you’re simply disgusting when
you get like this.

Everyone knows your normal screed, and it gets tiresome when you play this game. You don’t like being called out, then quit posting. If you’re going to argue, at least be honest and put on your big boy pants and act like an adult.
NeoWayland
February 19th, 2016 @ 10:38 pm

I’m not the one resorting to playground taunts. Nor is this the first time you’ve done that.
Quartermaster
February 20th, 2016 @ 11:10 am

I call for you to act like an adult and that’s playground taunts. How droll.

You have a strange definition of “playground taunt.”
NeoWayland
February 20th, 2016 @ 2:55 pm

“I leave such things to children like yourself.”

“You’re simply a whiney little baby.”

“Frankly, you’re simply disgusting when you get like this.”

“…put on your big boy pants and act like an adult.”

These are playground taunts that you have used on this thread alone.

You do that when you are unwilling or unable to address the point and you are trying to distract or disarm.

I know this. I know when you start doing it you’ve run out of things to say. I also know that just my telling you this will push more buttons than I could possibly hope to do by insulting you.
Quartermaster
February 20th, 2016 @ 3:11 pm

As I said, grow up and act like an adult. It is self evident you don’t know the difference between an observation and taunt. Second, it is self evident you don’t know the difference between a taunt and an expression of how your idiocy affects me.

Your reaction to this reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes comic. The advice in it, changed just a bit, would be wise for you to emulate.
NeoWayland
February 20th, 2016 @ 3:12 pm

Thank you for proving my point.

Again.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
Quartermaster
February 20th, 2016 @ 3:14 pm

Standard whiney SJW. Thanx for proving mine. Overwhelmingly.
NeoWayland
February 20th, 2016 @ 3:22 pm

But neighbor, I haven’t said one thing about my feelings. So it’s hardly SJW tactics, is it?

I’ve commented on your behavior.

You still can’t say what I’ve done wrong except disagree with you.