Ninth Circuit Judge Paul Watford is the most likely nominee to replace Antonin Scalia (superseded)  —  This post has been revised and superseded here.  —  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.

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 …

Justice Scalia Died of Heart Attack, No Autopsy Planned, Breitbart Freaking Out  —  WFAA TV in Dallas reports that Justice Antonin Scalia's death was due to a heart attack; there are still conflicting reports about whether an autopsy will be performed, but the Washington Post says Scalia's family declined an autopsy.

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.

The death of Antonin Scalia: Chaos, confusion and conflicting reports  —  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.

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.

Trump and Drudge for the win, again: Matt Drudge's army is bigger than the RNC's  —  Yes, Trump got booed by GOP loyalists at the debate.  But the reaction that matters, again, was afterwards on Drudge  —  Well, that was brutal.  Wasn't it?  The Republican presidential debate in South Carolina …

RNC Under Fire Over Debate Audience Stacking-Local GOP Chairman Confirms Party Donors Get Debate Tickets  —  GREENVILLE, South Carolina — The chairman of the local Republican Party here confirmed to local television that 2016 frontrunner billionaire Donald Trump's concerns …

Donald Trump finally went too far for Republicans  —  Donald Trump finally made some bold and provocative claims that were largely true, and the Republican Party finally closed ranks to attack him.  —  Saying Mexican immigrants are rapists didn't do it.  Calling for a return of torture didn't do it.