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Polarization of the Supreme Court Vacancy
By Kyler Beaty, Legislative Research Intern
On February 13, 2016, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away. According to the United State Constitution, the President is responsible for nominating the replacement justice, and the Senate is then responsible for confirming or denying that nomination; however, some politicians are calling for President Barack Obama to abstain from the nomination, leaving 8 justices to make judicial decisions for almost a year. This Supreme Court vacancy has become a polarized partisan issue. The last two Supreme Court nominations, PN 506 and PN 1768, were also appointed under the Obama Administration, and allowed Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to elevate to Supreme Court Justices.
