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COULD OBAMA MAKE A RECESS APPOINTMENT TO REPLACE SCALIA?: The answer appears to be “yes,” because (once again), the GOP-controlled Senate voluntarily has left itself vulnerable to the exercise of such presidential power. Article II, section 2 of the Constitution gives the President power to fill vacancies …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Congress.gov
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David Axelrod: A surprising request from Justice Scalia — David Axelrod is CNN's senior political commentator and host of the podcast “The Axe Files.” He was senior adviser to President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama campaigns. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
Discussion:
Political Wire


Supreme Court vacancies in presidential election years — In the wake of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, questions have arisen about whether there is a standard practice of not nominating and confirming Supreme Court Justices during a presidential election year.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Towleroad and Slantpoint

Is a recess appointment to the Court an option? (UPDATED) — UPDATED Sunday 8:48 a.m. The Senate is currently in recess until February 22. The recess began on Friday. Whether this opens an opportunity for a recess appointment depends upon how Senate leaders interpret an adjournment resolution approved last Friday.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Guardian, Discourse.net, Politicus USA, RedState, The White House, Booman Tribune, The Resurgent, Politico, Reuters, The Reality-Based Community and Vox


Official: Scalia died of heart attack — MARFA, Texas — The death certificate for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will list myocardial infarction — a heart attack — as the official cause of death, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara told WFAA on Sunday.
Discussion:
Independent Journal Review, TPNN, Mediaite and New Republic

The Next Supreme Court Nominee — Let me put down a few thoughts about two circulating talking points on the possible treatment of a nominee to replace Scalia. Here is the Times framing the use of the filibuster: — Filibusters of Supreme Court nominations are rare …

Ninth Circuit Judge Paul Watford is the most likely nominee to replace Antonin Scalia — In thinking about how to respond to the vacancy on the Supreme Court, the administration has two priorities. First, fill the Scalia seat by getting a nominee confirmed.
Discussion:
Above the Law, Slantpoint and Politico


If Republicans block Obama's Supreme Court nomination, he wins anyway — After Justice Antonin Scalia's death Saturday at 79, the Supreme Court is now evenly divided between four liberal justices and four conservatives, even with Anthony Kennedy's occasional swings.
Discussion:
Mashable


Scalia's death to be ruled a heart attack … MARFA, Texas — The Texas death certificate for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will list myocardial infarction or a heart attack as the official cause of death, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara told WFAA on Sunday.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, Associated Press and TPNN


Scalia is said to have died of a heart attack — MARFA, Tex. — Inside the cloistered chambers of the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia's days were highly regulated and predictable. He met with clerks, wrote opinions and appeared for arguments in the august courtroom on a schedule set months in advance.


Antonin Scalia's legacy: blistering zingers and a more partisan America — The US supreme court justice will be remembered more for his dissents than legal opinions that changed lives. Given his analyses, that may be for the best — hen Antonin Scalia was nominated to the US supreme court …
Discussion:
Politico, ThinkProgress, Constitution Daily, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Vox, The Talking Dog and Raw Story


Battle Begins Over Naming Next Justice
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Mother Jones, BloombergView.com, JustOneMinute, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Business, Vox, alan.com, CNN, Politico and Political Wire

FLASHBACK: In 2007, Schumer Called For Blocking All Bush Supreme Court Nominations
Discussion:
National Review

Conservatives Quickly Refuse Any Obama Court Replacement After Antonin Scalia's Death

Ted Cruz Plans to Filibuster Any Supreme Court Nominee Made by President Obama
Discussion:
Washington Post, abc11.com, Associated Press, The Week and BuzzFeed

Judiciary chair: ‘Standard practice’ to not confirm SCOTUS nominee in election year

How Long Does It Take to Confirm a Supreme Court Nominee?
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Politicus USA, Crooked Timber, Guardian, AOL, Trail Blazers Blog, The Week, SCOTUSblog and Taylor Marsh

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79
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MichelleMalkin.com, ABC News, Politico, The Atlantic, Slantpoint, NPR, RealClearPolitics, BuzzFeed, The Hill, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Associated Press, USA Today, abc11.com, The Daily Beast, CNN, Weekly Standard, TIME, The Moderate Voice, Constitution Daily, SCOTUSblog, ImmigrationProf Blog, Media Matters for America, KFOR-TV, Wall Street Journal, Above the Law, CNBC, AOL, Talking Points Memo, The Agonist, Booman Tribune, The Daily Signal, Courthouse News Service, CBS New York, Outside the Beltway, The Scoop Blog, National Review and Clayton Cramer

Mitch McConnell Voted To Confirm A Supreme Court Justice In Reagan's Final Year
Discussion:
Slantpoint and Politico

Justice Antonin Scalia's Supreme Court Legacy
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Prairie Weather and Daily Kos

The Simply Breathtaking Consequences Of Justice Scalia's Death
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New York Times, USA Today, Guardian, naked capitalism, fox13now.com, KXAN-TV and SCOTUSblog

Why the death of a Supreme Court justice in office is unusual
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Politico, ABC News, New York Times, The Hill, Trail Blazers Blog, BuzzFeed and Marginal REVOLUTION

Antonin Scalia, Conservative Legal Giant
Discussion:
Power Line, The Atlantic and Slate

There's Ample Precedent For Rejecting Lame Duck Supreme Court Nominees


Poll: South Carolina still solidly for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton — The CBS News Battleground Tracker poll Donald Trump keeps a large lead in South Carolina, bolstered by support from conservatives and also from evangelical voters, who make up a large share of the electorate here.
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The ‘You Lie’ Debate: Republicans Running Out of Time to Stop Trump in South Carolina — A Republican slugfest in South Carolina Saturday night pitted Marco Rubio against Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush against John Kasich and Donald Trump against just about all of them.
Discussion:
TIME


Trump was out of control in South Carolina debate
Discussion:
Marco Rubio

Online poll: Trump up by 22 points in SC
Discussion:
Washington Post, Slantpoint and Yahoo Politics

Exclusive — Donald Trump, Ted Cruz Campaigns Bash RNC for Stacking Audience with Pro-Amnesty Donor Class
Discussion:
Vox

Republican Debate Descends Into Total Chaos, Moderator Threatens To ‘Turn This Car Around’

Trump blames George W. Bush for 9/11
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The Moderate Voice, Yahoo Politics, Liberal Values and Raw Story

Republican debate: Raised voices, name calling and personal attacks
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Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Slantpoint, Des Moines Register and Independent Journal Review

In Republican Debate, Jeb Bush Attacks Donald Trump
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Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Discourse.net and Washington Monthly

Trump dominates talking time at Republican debate
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The Hill, CNN, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The Hinterland Gazette and Yahoo Politics

The Ego Has Landed: Why Trump Damaged Himself Tonight — Apologies. I have no idea why I indulged myself to write so long to make such a simple point. Long story short: You can't tell people they've been flat wrong about everything for 17 years, without giving the slightest reason …
Discussion:
RedState, National Review, Slate and JustOneMinute