--- title: President Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia’s Replacement description: "I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time" canonical: https://time.com/4220790/president-obama-justice-scalia-replacement/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-14T01:55:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:10.526Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia’s Replacement og:description: "I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time" og:url: https://time.com/4220790/president-obama-justice-scalia-replacement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb9de155ea6336b0/69887d992dce013b2b9e7cf7/barack-obama4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: President Barack Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, to mark the 7th anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia’s Replacement twitter:description: "I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb9de155ea6336b0/69887d992dce013b2b9e7cf7/barack-obama4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia's Replacement > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=84632940-188f-4967-9420-13b7ab42b74e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia’s Replacement [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia’s Replacement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0diTzE7v.m3u8) (3:12)  _Published 2016-02-14_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 14, 2016 1:55 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 14, 2016 1:55 AM UTC President Obama said he would nominate someone to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, who died Saturday at age 79\. Obama called Scalia a “larger than life presence on the bench.” “I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” Obama said. “There’s plenty of time…for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities I take seriously as should everyone.” President Obama said those duties are “bigger than any one party.” Though Obama said the nomination process is important, he said Saturday night was about honoring Scalia’s life and offering condolences to the family. “He influenced a generation of lawyers, judges and students,” Obama said. “Tonight, we honor his extraordinary service to our nation and remember one of the towering legal figures of our time.” Obama’s signal that he will nominate a replacement flies in the face of statements made by Republicans on the campaign trail and in the Senate. Senate leaders signaled Saturday that the process would be difficult. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the “American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. “Therefore,” he said in a statement, “this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.” McConnell’s statement was met with a fiery retort from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who said leaving a seat on the Supreme Court vacant for a year until Obama’s successor takes office would be “unprecedented.” “Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate’s most essential Constitutional responsibilities,” Reid said. Scalia’s death came at a volatile time in American politics and as [TIME’s Jay Newton Small writes](http://time.com/4220762/antonin-scalia-dead-republican-party-senate-congress/?xid=time%5Fsocialflow%5Ftwitter), could upend both the Republican party and the Court. “Currently the court swings 5-4 conservative. But if President Obama manages to confirm a liberal to the bench, it will swing the court 5-4 the other way,” Jay writes. “This could have profound and reaching implications on everything from abortion and women’s rights to campaign finance and Second Amendment rights.” President Obama has successfully appointed two justices during his two terms in office, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Justice Elena Kagan in 2010\. Though Obama said Saturday he would fulfill his presidential duty of appointing another justice given the seat left vacant by Scalia, the road ahead will be bumpy. Obama did not say who he would be nominating in the coming months, but whoever he taps will likely face significant opposition from Republican lawmakers. ## Transcript Good evening, everybody. For almost 30 years, Justice Antonin " Nino" Scalia was a larger than life presence on the bench. A brilliant legal mind with an energetic style, an incisive wit, and colorful opinions. He influenced a generation of judges, lawyers, and students. And profoundly shaped the legal landscape. He will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy The rule of law. Tonight we honor his extraordinary service to our nation, and remember one of the towering legal figures of our time. And [ UNKNOWN ] was born in Trento, New Jersey to an italian immigrant family. After graduating from Georgetown university and Harvard law school. He worked at a law firm and taught law before entering a life of public service. He rose from Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Council, to the judge on the D. C. Circuit Court to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. A devout Catholic. He was a proud father of nine children and grandfather to many loving grandchildren. Justice Scalia was both an avid hunter and an opera lover, a passion for music that he shared with his dear colleague and friend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Michelle and I were proud to welcome him to the White House including, in 2012, for a State Dinner for Prime Minister David Cameron. And tonight we join his fellow justices in mourning this remarkable man. Obviously, today is a time to remember Just as Kolea's legacy. I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so, and for the senate to fulfill it's responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone. They're bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy. They're about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life in making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned. But at this moment, we most all, wanna think about his family. And Michelle and I join the nation in sending our deepest sympathies to Justice Scalia's wife Maureen and their loving family, a beautiful symbol of a life well lived. We thank them for sharing Justice Scalia with our country. God bless them all and God bless the United States of America. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4220790/president-obama-justice-scalia-replacement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4220790/president-obama-justice-scalia-replacement/"},"headline":"President Obama Says He Will Nominate Justice Scalia's Replacement","datePublished":"2016-02-14T01:55:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:10.526Z","description":"\"I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time\"","url":"https://time.com/4220790/president-obama-justice-scalia-replacement/","keywords":["Supreme Court","Barack Obama","White House"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb9de155ea6336b0/69887d992dce013b2b9e7cf7/barack-obama4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb9de155ea6336b0/69887d992dce013b2b9e7cf7/barack-obama4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Barack Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, to mark the 7th anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 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