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Antonin Scalia, a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice, has died:
US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - one of most conservative members of the high court - has died. Justice Scalia's death could shift the balance of power on the US high court, allowing President Barack Obama to add a fifth liberal justice to the court. The court's conservative majority has recently stalled major efforts by the Obama administration on climate change and immigration.
Justice Scalia, 79, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He died in his sleep early on Saturday while in West Texas for [a] hunting trip, the US Marshall service said. Justice Scalia was one of the most prominent proponents of "originalism" - a conservative legal philosophy that believes the US Constitution has a fixed meaning and does not change with the times.
Justice Scalia's death is, unsurprisingly, now being widely reported.
From the San Antonio Express News:
According to a report, Scalia arrived at the ranch on Friday and attended a private party with about 40 people. When he did not appear for breakfast, a person associated with the ranch went to his room and found a body.
[...] The U.S. Marshal Service, the Presidio County sheriff and the FBI were involved in the investigation. Officials with the law enforcement agencies declined to comment.
A federal official who asked not to be named said there was no evidence of foul play and it appeared that Scalia died of natural causes.
A gray Cadillac hearse pulled into the ranch last Saturday afternoon. The hearse came from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home.
Most major news outlets are covering this story, including CNN [video autoplays], The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NBC.
(Score: 2) by schad on Sunday February 14 2016, @12:50AM
"Who might this person, as President, nominate for SCOTUS?" That's a question you should always ask yourself. SCOTUS appointees are almost always the most significant contribution a president makes to his legacy. 20 years from now Bush 43 will be a vague (and probably unpleasant) memory at most. But John Roberts will quite possibly still be Chief Justice, still having a huge impact on the country. Especially if we get a Republican president next, and he manages to roll back ObamaCare in its entirety, what will be Obama's legacy? Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
You could do a lot worse than casting your vote based solely on who you think a candidate would nominate.
Of course, in this election cycle you are pretty much fucked. Libertarian-leaning centrist here. I've always either thrown away my vote (voting for a third party) or held my nose and optimistically voted (R) (and then been bitterly disappointed). This election I may vote for Sanders, because he's the least-terrifying option of the whole lot. While I genuinely believe that he would lead the country to economic ruin, so would all the other guys. Bernie would at least keep us comfortable while everything collapsed over us.