With battle lines already drawn on the fight to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia just hours after his death, President Obama delivered a tribute to the man he called one of the “towering legal figures of our time.”
But the glowing words were tinged with politics, as the president said he will nominate and try to push through a replacement that would swing the majority conservative high court to the left.
The president said it is his Constitutional duty to fill vacancy on the high court as quickly as possible. “I plan to fulfill my Constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” he said.
He added that that there will be “plenty of time” for the Senate to “fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.”
“These are responsibilities that I take seriously as should everyone,” he said. “They are bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy,” he said. “They are about the institution for which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that are founders envisioned.”
He did not acknowledge a previous statement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., vowing to block any nominee Obama chooses to allow the next president to make the selection.
Before making the pledge, Obama delivered a glowing tribute to Scalia, who he called a “larger than life presence on the bench, a brilliant legal mind” who displayed an “incisive wit.”
“He influenced a generation and profoundly shaped the legal landscape and will be remembered as one of the most consequential judges [to serve on the Supreme Court],” Obama said. “Tonight we honor his extraordinary service to our nation and remember one of the towering legal minds of our time.”
“Michelle and I were proud to welcome him to the White House…and tonight we join his fellow justices in mourning this remarkable man.”
Obama spoke hours after news broke that Scalia had died in his sleep at a West Texas ranch and just minutes before Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate is set to begin.
