White House Press Secretary Defends The Obamas Skipping Scalia’s Funeral

Justice Scalia strove to keep his disagreements to the workday; his closest friends on the court included his ideological opposites, for many years the liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and more recently, Justice Elena Kagan, a Barack Obama appointee. Supreme Court police will carry it up the court steps, with former clerks following as honorary pallbearers.

Scalia served for nearly three decades on the nation’s highest court, making his mark by advocating an “originalist” approach to the Constitution that limited protections to those specifically laid out in the document.

Scalia’s wife Maureen, his other children and dozens of grandchildren looked on silently.

In a radio interview on Thursday, Mr Biden pushed back against Republicans who insist Mr Obama leaves the decision to the next president.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to the late Justice Antonin Scalia as he lies in repose Friday at the Supreme Court.

Scalia’s funeral will be held at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Two federal appeals court judges who have been mentioned as possible Supreme Court nominees – Sri Srinivasan and Patricia Millett – also stopped by Scalia’s casket and paused to admire his official portrait sitting on an easel beside wreaths and bouquets of flowers.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., left, Ginny Thomas, next to her husband Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, attend a private ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court on February 19. Among those in line were students in town on Washington trips, hoping to witness a piece of history, and members of the public and legal community hoping to honor Scalia’s memory and his contributions to the law with their visit. Burial plans have not been announced.

Scalia, 79, was found dead last Saturday in his room at a West Texas resort.

Earnest then adopted a stronger tone, saying it was disrespectful of Obama’s critics to use Scalia’s death against him, given the tributes he’s already paid the late justice. In that statement, he registered support for the position of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said Scalia’s seat “should not be filled until we have a new President”.