President Obama reacted to the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after wrapping up his golf game in California this afternoon.
“Tonight we honor his extraordinary service to our nation and remember one of the towering legal figures of our time,” Obama said, describing him as a “brilliant legal mind with a pugnacious style, incisive wit, and colorful opinions.”
The president made his statement at Rancho Mirage, California.
But Obama quickly vowed that he would nominate a replacement to the Supreme Court and expected the Senate to confirm his choice.
“I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” he said. “There will plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.”
Obama said he took his constitutional responsibilities “seriously.”
“They’re bigger than any one party,” he added. “They’re about our democracy.”