Who Will Replace Antonin Scalia?

Who Will Replace Antonin Scalia?

My guess: nobody, for a very long time.

It will require 51 senators to confirm, and the GOP currently holds 54 seats. It's difficult to imagine an Obama nominee that the conservatives would find acceptable. Even if Obama nominated Hillary, thus almost handing them the White House, I think they'd still vote it down and take their chances.

And with the court deadlocked at 4-4, not a lot of work will get done there.

There's also a realistic possibility that Scalia will not be the only one to shuffle off this mortal coil soon. Kennedy, who will be 80 in July, was nominated by Reagan, who left office nearly 30 years ago. And he's a mere child compared to Ginsburg, who was nominated by one of those old-timey guys with the crazy haircuts. I think it was John Hanson. That was an easy confirmation, because there was no Senate at the time, so President Hanson could have nominated a yellow-bellied sapsucker or a jar of mustache wax, and there was no fear of contradiction.