There is precedent for nominating a law professor.
WHOO HOOOOO!! RING THE BELLS!
Dopers, it’s time to get out the New Year’s party horns and tambourines! Finally some good news. I’m guessing Teddy Cruz wants to nominate Mike Huckabee, or a Duggar family member (obviously not a woman) and Trumpy wants to nominate himself.
Hey, Free Republic. Scalia was right. There is a god. 
In theory, yes. In actuality, there will not be a recess between now and January unless a meteor hits Washington.
Don’t know Supreme Court rules, …Do they bury Clarence Thomas along with Tony?
As others have said.
This is huge.
The R senate will obstruct to the limit of their ability. Which will probably be past January.
Obama will nominate somebody relatively centrist in actuality who the Rs will spin as extreme Marxist.
The R presidential primary candidates will fall over themselves suggesting ever more insane Supreme Court nominees. The base will eat it up.
This will have a more positive impact on R turnout in November than it will D turnout. Scalia dying before the election is a bad turn of events for the Ds.
LSL, do people tend to call you a pessimist, while you think of yourself as just a realist? Because that strikes me as pretzel logic, to see this as bad news for Democrats.
A short list of possible nominees:
Yes, making it that much more critical that we elect Bernie Sanders. Literally, the soul of the Democratic Party is at stake here: social democracy versus neoliberalism.
Why Bernie vs Hillary Matters More Than People Think
Why Bernie Sanders is More Electable Than People Think
Unless you want a continued right-leaning court, then by all means, put the neoliberal Clinton in there (as if she hasn’t already damaged the party enough by moving it so far to the right as it is).
I think this is probably bad for Sanders. True or false, more Democrats think Hillary is electable. Anything that emphasizes the consequences of the GOP winning is bad for Sanders.
But, as we all know, the Pubs do not want high turnout across the board, because they tend to lose when that happens, and there is no obvious way to spin this issue so that it leads to high turnout among Republicans only.
Do you believe that Clinton would nominate someone like Scalia? 'Cause I don’t.
Of course Obama will nominate a replacement. That’s his job, as laid out in the Constitution of the United States of America. Obama takes his job seriously, unlike much of Washington.
I just hope Obama gets a backbone and finds someone with one. I’d like to see a black person on the court (Who talks). Maybe it would shame someone we know into participating and being publicly accessible about his opinions.
Do you really think it’s time for Obama to be moderate? Now after 7 years of lucy pulling the football out?
Well…welcome back, I guess.
I liked:
Are any of the original Black Panthers still alive? 
For anyone keeping track of coincidences, the last time a Supreme Court justice died in office was almost exactly 100 years ago, Joseph Lamar in January, 1916.
She’s a little old now, but I’d like to see it.
Huh? Rehnquist died in office just in 2005.
Good statement from President Obama just now.