--- title: Ted Cruz Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination description: Ted Cruz pledged to filibuster any appointee President Obama nominates to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. canonical: https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-14T15:17:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:10.883Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination og:description: "This should be a decision for the people" og:url: https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential Candidates Address Faith And Family Forum In S. Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination twitter:description: "This should be a decision for the people" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination > 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. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6ad00b14-284c-4af0-ba25-57689c5ef5c3&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 [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Feb 14, 2016 3:17 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Feb 14, 2016 3:17 PM UTC Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on Sunday [pledged to filibuster](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-ted-cruz-john-kasich-marco-rubio/story?id=36918872) any appointee President Obama nominates to fill [Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat](http://time.com/4220770/antonin-scalia-influence/?1&xid=homepage) on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas senator said he would prolong the process of the president selecting a new successor to the bench after Scalia’s death. “This should be a decision for the people,” Cruz told ABC News’ _This Week_ host George Stephanopoulos. “Let the election decide it. If the Democrats want to replace this nominee, they need to win the election.” Obama said he plans to make a nomination “in due time.” He also said the Senate would “fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.” The death of the conservative Scalia has [upended the Republican party](http://time.com/4220762/antonin-scalia-dead-republican-party-senate-congress/?xid=homepage) and could change the Supreme Court, which previously swung 5-4 conservative. “Right now, the court is exquisitely balanced,” Cruz said. “This next selection needs to be a referendum on the court. The people need to decide.” ## 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/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz Says He Will Filibuster Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination","datePublished":"2016-02-14T15:17:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:10.883Z","description":"\"This should be a decision for the people\"","url":"https://time.com/4224367/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama-supreme-court/","keywords":["Supreme Court"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d2ca3e0a08bc45a/69887d9f428a9e4448cd1650/ted-cruz-filibuster-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican Presidential Candidates Address Faith And Family Forum In S. 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