[LOCKED] OT: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies of Natural Causes while on Hunting Trip in Texas

Submitted by VicTorious1 on

He was on a hunting trip in West Texas. He complained of not feeling well Friday evening. It is reported that he passed in his sleep.

Edit: Folks, don't think it needs to be said, but let's remember to avoid the politics. Just wanted to post the news as it's current events and sometimes I first get news from you guys while refreshing the site.

MOD EDIT - a couple people are starting to say things which could lead down the path of politics, so we'll lock it here. I know I'll get flack for this, and if you disagree, you can always find me on Twitter if you've got it and we can talk. - LSA

MGoBoard

Football Heaven

February 13th, 2016 at 5:29 PM ^

Important news I wish we could talk about.  However, this will never end well....way too political.  When dealing with Supreme Court Justices, I really wish it wasn't politcal.

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LSAClassOf2000

February 13th, 2016 at 6:01 PM ^

Per her Wiki page, she went to American University then New York Law School. She was appointed to the criminal court in New York by Ed Koch actually, and even more interesting, supposedly makes over $100,000 per episode of her show. All that aside, however, I can't imagine Jim Harbaugh turning this potential appointment down - I do agree there. 

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Hagen

February 13th, 2016 at 5:32 PM ^

Rest in peace Justice Scalia.  Condolences to his family.

There should be nothing else to say here.  This is MgoBlog, not a political forum.  

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charblue.

February 13th, 2016 at 6:30 PM ^

might enter into the world of real news here, because politics, justice and other related issues never come up or are even paranthetically discussed. Sometimes certain news breaks the grip of the Michigan sports agenda. The fact that this happens and people want to discuss it, doesn't mean that your interests are being denied or challenged.

You don't have to read or participate. What's the point of having an open forum if can't comment on current events.  I can't understand this. 

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StephenRKass

February 13th, 2016 at 5:36 PM ^

This is huge news. Will agree reluctantly that it cannot be discussed well on this board just because. But still, this has huge repercussions for the court, for the future, for Obama in nominating a new justice. Just read an article on age of justices, and how Ginsburg is 82. Inevitably, at some point, age affects how sharp you are.

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StephenRKass

February 13th, 2016 at 6:27 PM ^

How long does the process of nominating and confirmation take? I thought it was possible this could happen inside of the next 11 months, which would allow Obama to do so. If they try, but don't get confirmation, does the next President have the option to start from scratch with a different nominee?

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stephenrjking

February 13th, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^

The Senate is not going to confirm. That's basically already been established by those in a position to control that. Whether it should be that way is a political question; whether it will be that way is now a matter of public record.

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StephenRKass

February 13th, 2016 at 6:37 PM ^

I know nothing about Ginsburg's cognitive abilities. I simply read an article on the topic, and it commented on her, among others. Here is the most relevant quote:

That the two oldest justices, Ginsburg and Scalia, represent opposite poles of the ideological spectrum is a happy accident, as calls for reform must have a nonpartisan hue. Although neither has had a confirmed episode of cognitive decline, they're both putting themselves in the way of embarrassment. Ginsburg fell asleep during the State of the Union (twice), the papal address and even during an oral argument; she also speaks about pending cases, which, if not a sign that she's forgotten the rules, is an indication that she's beyond respecting them.

Here's the link, but it is a paywalled commentary from the Chicago Trib. It was originally published on Feb. 2 with the title, "Ruling Senility out on the Bench." The author is David J. Garrow, a professor of law and history at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

LINK:  Four Supreme Court Justices are older than 75. Is that a problem?

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StephenRKass

February 13th, 2016 at 6:57 PM ^

You're correct . . . I don't follow it that closely. I tend to read my local paper (Trib) in which the original commentary was found. And yes, a couple of glasses of wine, with digesting a fine meal, and listening to a long and tedious and simplistic address, would be enough to put virtually anyone asleep. You need coffee instead of wine to make it through something like that.

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