WH accuses GOP of playing politics over Obama's justice nominee
The White House says President Barack Obama is currently in preliminary discussions with his team about nominating a Supreme Court justice, accusing Republicans of playing politics for not wanting to confirm the president’s pick.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, died after a day of hunting at a ranch outside Marfa,Texas, on Saturday.
Following Scalia’s death, Senate Republicans said the successor should not be appointed until a new president is elected.
However, Obama said it is within his “constitutional responsibilities” to name a replacement in “due time” and that the Senate must consider it.
On Monday, White House spokesman Eric Schultz criticized Republicans of “bluster,” saying they have taken a hard line.
“This is not the first time that Republicans have come out with a lot of bluster, only to have reality ultimately sink in,” Schultz said, “At each pass, they took a hard line. They tried to play politics. But ultimately, they were not able to back up their threats.”
"The Constitution does not include exemptions for election years or for the president’s last term in office. There’s no exemptions for when a vacancy could tip the balance of the court,” he added.
Schultz said that Obama administration officials had been discussing the process with Senate offices, something that would turn out to be an epic fight between Republicans and Democrats in a presidential election year.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said "the American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president."
Americans will cast their ballot to choose a new president in November elections with Obama leaving office in January 2017.
Replacing Scalia with a Democrat-appointed justice could change the balance of the court under Chief Justice John Roberts, and would mean the election of the president could immediately determine the direction of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court, where Scalia was a passionate conservative voice, has twice upheld major provisions of Obama’s Affordable Care Act and also legalized gay marriage in all 50 states.
However, it blocked the implementation of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan last week.
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