Republicans gear up for Supreme Court battle after Scalia's deathWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates hardened their  positions on Sunday on blocking a move by President Barack Obama to fill the Supreme Court seat left by the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, a lifetime appointment that would help decide some of the most divisive issues facing Americans.  The next justice could tilt the balance of the nation’s highest court, which was left with four conservatives and four liberals. The vacancy quickly became an issue in the 2016 presidential race. “We ought to make the 2016 election a referendum on the Supreme Court,” U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The normally nine-justice court is set to decide this year its first major abortion case in nearly a decade, as well as cases on voting rights, affirmative action and immigration. Scalia, 79, died on Saturday at a West Texas resort. The cause of death will not be determined for several days, the top official in the county where he died, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Gueara, said on Sunday in an interview with local TV station WFAA-TV. Obama, a Democrat, will nominate someone to fill the empty seat but will wait until the U.S. Senate is back in session, the White House said on Sunday. The Senate returns from recess on Feb. 22. “At that point, we expect the Senate to consider that nominee, consistent with their responsibilities laid out in the United States Constitution,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. The White House declined to give a more specific timeline for Obama to announce his nominee. The nomination will set up a battle with the Republican-controlled chamber, which must approve any nominee. Shortly after news of Scalia’s death, Republicans vowed not to act on the vacancy until Obama’s successor takes office next January. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said failure to act would be a “shameful abdication” of the Senate’s constitutional duty. Both sides said history was on their side.  Reid said it would be unprecedented to have a vacancy on the court for a year. In the modern era, the longest Supreme Court vacancy was 363 days after Abe Fortas resigned in May 1969.  Republicans cited 80 years of tradition in which no Supreme Court nominees were approved in presidential election years. In fact, Justice Anthony Kennedy was approved in 1988, after a bruising battle in which the Senate rejected President Ronald Reagan’s first nominee, conservative Robert Bork. Supreme Court nominations are rare, so neither side has much data to rely on in determining precedents. History is also an unreliable guide as the nomination process has become significantly more politicized in recent years. For Obama’s previous two Supreme Court picks, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, he took about 30 days each to announce the elections after their predecessors, Justice John Paul Stevens and Justice David Souter, respectively, said they planned to step down. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a moderate among the Republicans vying for the White House, said the Senate should wait because a battle this year would only deepen divisions in the country. “You know how polarized everything is,” Kasich said on ABC’s “This Week.” “What I don’t want to see is more fighting and more recrimination.” Democratic U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy warned that a delay could have consequences in November’s election, when voters get to decide who fills one-third of the Senate’s seats. “If the Republican leadership refuses to even hold a hearing, I think that is going to guarantee they lose control of the Senate, because I don’t think the American people will stand for that,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”    Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said the Constitution was clear. “The president makes the appointment, Senate confirms, let’s get on with that business,” the senator from Vermont said on “Fox News Sunday.” One possible contender to replace Scalia is an Indian-American appeals court judge, Sri Srinivasan, who has pro-business credentials and a stellar resume. His nomination could make it more politically challenging for Republicans to block anyone put forward by Obama. Cruz, a Texas lawmaker, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee that takes the lead on Supreme Court nominees, said the vacancy left by Scalia made the presidential election even more critical. He warned that a justice chosen by Sanders or his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, would mean the Second Amendment right to bear arms would be “written out” of the Constitution and abortion on demand would become the law of the land.  Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, another White House candidate, said he would want someone who echoed Scalia’s “originalist” ideology that looks at the U.S. Constitution through the lens of its framers’ 18th-century intentions. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, appearing on NBC, was more direct when asked what he would want: “Someone just like Justice Scalia.” That would mean someone who did not let ideological differences preclude civility or even friendship, former President Bill Clinton told CNN, citing Scalia’s bond with liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg, in a statement on Sunday, called her friend “a jurist of captivating brilliance and wit” with whom she disagreed “now and then.” She cited a duet sung by the two justices in the 2015 opera “Scalia/Ginsburg” titled: “We are different, we are one.” She and Scalia, Ginsburg wrote, were “different in our interpretation of written texts, one in our reverence for the Constitution and the institution we serve.”  (Additional reporting by Joan Biskupic, Alana Wise, Timothy Gardner in Washington; Sara Vasquez in Marfa, Texas; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.politicsNews
republicans gear supreme court battle scale deathwashington reuters republican lawmakers presidential candidates hardened positions sunday blocking move president barack obama fill supreme court seat left late conservative justice antonio scale lifetime appointment would help decide divisive issues facing americans the next justice could tilt balance nation highest court left four conservatives four liberals the vacancy quickly became issue presidential race we ought make election referendum supreme court senator republican presidential candidate ted cruz said nbc meet the normally court set decide year first major abortion case nearly decade well cases voting rights affirmative action immigration scale died saturday west texas resort the cause death determined several days top official county died presided county judge cinerea guerra said sunday interview local tv station obama democrat nominate someone fill empty seat wait senate back session white house said sunday the senate returns recess at point expect senate consider nominee consistent responsibilities laid united states constitution white house spokesman eric schultz said the white house declined give specific timeline obama announce nominee the nomination set battle chamber must approve nominee shortly news scale death republicans vowed act vacancy obama successor takes office next january senate democratic leader harry reid said failure act would shameful abdication senate constitutional duty both sides said history side reid said would unprecedented vacancy court year in modern era longest supreme court vacancy days abe forts resigned may republicans cited years tradition supreme court nominees approved presidential election years in fact justice anthony kennedy approved cruising battle senate rejected president ronald reagan first nominee conservative robert work supreme court nominations rare neither side much data rely determining precedents history also unreliable guide nomination process become significantly politicized recent years for obama previous two supreme court picks elena pagan sonia sotomayor took days announce elections predecessors justice john paul stevens justice david outer respectively said planned step ohio governor john basic moderate among republicans vying white house said senate wait battle year would deepen divisions country you know polarized everything basic said abc this what i want see fighting democratic senator patrick leaky warned delay could consequences november election voters get decide fills senate seats if republican leadership refuses even hold hearing i think going guarantee lose control senate i think american people stand said cnn state democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders said constitution clear the president makes appointment senate confirms let get business senator vermont said fox news one possible contender replace scale appeals court judge sri srinivasan credentials stellar resume his nomination could make politically challenging republicans block anyone put forward obama cruz texas lawmaker sits senate judiciary committee takes lead supreme court nominees said vacancy left scale made presidential election even critical he warned justice chosen sanders democratic presidential rival hillary clinton would mean second amendment right bear arms would written constitution abortion demand would become law land republican senator marco rubio florida another white house candidate said would want someone echoed scale originals ideology looks constitution lens farmers intentions republican presidential donald trump appearing nbc direct asked would want someone like justice that would mean someone let ideological differences preclude civility even friendship former president bill clinton told cnn citing scale bond liberal justice ruth baker ginsburg ginsburg statement sunday called friend jurist captivating brilliance wit disagreed she cited duet sung two justices opera titled we different she scale ginsburg wrote different interpretation written texts one reverence constitution institution additional reporting joan biskupic alan wise timothy gardner washington sara squez maria texas writing doing chick editing jonathan oasis peter county sap sponsor content it independently created reuters editorial staff funded part sap otherwise role
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: Republicans gear up for Supreme Court battle after Scalia's deathWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates hardened their  positions on Sunday on blocking a move by President Barack Obama to fill the Supreme Court seat left by the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, a lifetime appointment that would help decide some of the most divisive issues facing Americans.  The next justice could tilt the balance of the nation’s highest court, which was left with four conservatives and four liberals. The vacancy quickly became an issue in the 2016 presidential race. “We ought to make the 2016 election a referendum on the Supreme Court,” U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The normally nine-justice court is set to decide this year its first major abortion case in nearly a decade, as well as cases on voting rights, affirmative action and immigration. Scalia, 79, died on Saturday at a West Texas resort. The cause of death will not be determined for several days, the top official in the county where he died, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Gueara, said on Sunday in an interview with local TV station WFAA-TV. Obama, a Democrat, will nominate someone to fill the empty seat but will wait until the U.S. Senate is back in session, the White House said on Sunday. The Senate returns from recess on Feb. 22. “At that point, we expect the Senate to consider that nominee, consistent with their responsibilities laid out in the United States Constitution,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. The White House declined to give a more specific timeline for Obama to announce his nominee. The nomination will set up a battle with the Republican-controlled chamber, which must approve any nominee. Shortly after news of Scalia’s death, Republicans vowed not to act on the vacancy until Obama’s successor takes office next January. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said failure to act would be a “shameful abdication” of the Senate’s constitutional duty. Both sides said history was on their side.  Reid said it would be unprecedented to have a vacancy on the court for a year. In the modern era, the longest Supreme Court vacancy was 363 days after Abe Fortas resigned in May 1969.  Republicans cited 80 years of tradition in which no Supreme Court nominees were approved in presidential election years. In fact, Justice Anthony Kennedy was approved in 1988, after a bruising battle in which the Senate rejected President Ronald Reagan’s first nominee, conservative Robert Bork. Supreme Court nominations are rare, so neither side has much data to rely on in determining precedents. History is also an unreliable guide as the nomination process has become significantly more politicized in recent years. For Obama’s previous two Supreme Court picks, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, he took about 30 days each to announce the elections after their predecessors, Justice John Paul Stevens and Justice David Souter, respectively, said they planned to step down. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a moderate among the Republicans vying for the White House, said the Senate should wait because a battle this year would only deepen divisions in the country. “You know how polarized everything is,” Kasich said on ABC’s “This Week.” “What I don’t want to see is more fighting and more recrimination.” Democratic U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy warned that a delay could have consequences in November’s election, when voters get to decide who fills one-third of the Senate’s seats. “If the Republican leadership refuses to even hold a hearing, I think that is going to guarantee they lose control of the Senate, because I don’t think the American people will stand for that,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”    Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said the Constitution was clear. “The president makes the appointment, Senate confirms, let’s get on with that business,” the senator from Vermont said on “Fox News Sunday.” One possible contender to replace Scalia is an Indian-American appeals court judge, Sri Srinivasan, who has pro-business credentials and a stellar resume. His nomination could make it more politically challenging for Republicans to block anyone put forward by Obama. Cruz, a Texas lawmaker, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee that takes the lead on Supreme Court nominees, said the vacancy left by Scalia made the presidential election even more critical. He warned that a justice chosen by Sanders or his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, would mean the Second Amendment right to bear arms would be “written out” of the Constitution and abortion on demand would become the law of the land.  Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, another White House candidate, said he would want someone who echoed Scalia’s “originalist” ideology that looks at the U.S. Constitution through the lens of its framers’ 18th-century intentions. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, appearing on NBC, was more direct when asked what he would want: “Someone just like Justice Scalia.” That would mean someone who did not let ideological differences preclude civility or even friendship, former President Bill Clinton told CNN, citing Scalia’s bond with liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg, in a statement on Sunday, called her friend “a jurist of captivating brilliance and wit” with whom she disagreed “now and then.” She cited a duet sung by the two justices in the 2015 opera “Scalia/Ginsburg” titled: “We are different, we are one.” She and Scalia, Ginsburg wrote, were “different in our interpretation of written texts, one in our reverence for the Constitution and the institution we serve.”  (Additional reporting by Joan Biskupic, Alana Wise, Timothy Gardner in Washington; Sara Vasquez in Marfa, Texas; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.politicsNews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: republicans gear supreme court battle scale deathwashington reuters republican lawmakers presidential candidates hardened positions sunday blocking move president barack obama fill supreme court seat left late conservative justice antonio scale lifetime appointment would help decide divisive issues facing americans the next justice could tilt balance nation highest court left four conservatives four liberals the vacancy quickly became issue presidential race we ought make election referendum supreme court senator republican presidential candidate ted cruz said nbc meet the normally court set decide year first major abortion case nearly decade well cases voting rights affirmative action immigration scale died saturday west texas resort the cause death determined several days top official county died presided county judge cinerea guerra said sunday interview local tv station obama democrat nominate someone fill empty seat wait senate back session white house said sunday the senate returns recess at point expect senate consider nominee consistent responsibilities laid united states constitution white house spokesman eric schultz said the white house declined give specific timeline obama announce nominee the nomination set battle chamber must approve nominee shortly news scale death republicans vowed act vacancy obama successor takes office next january senate democratic leader harry reid said failure act would shameful abdication senate constitutional duty both sides said history side reid said would unprecedented vacancy court year in modern era longest supreme court vacancy days abe forts resigned may republicans cited years tradition supreme court nominees approved presidential election years in fact justice anthony kennedy approved cruising battle senate rejected president ronald reagan first nominee conservative robert work supreme court nominations rare neither side much data rely determining precedents history also unreliable guide nomination process become significantly politicized recent years for obama previous two supreme court picks elena pagan sonia sotomayor took days announce elections predecessors justice john paul stevens justice david outer respectively said planned step ohio governor john basic moderate among republicans vying white house said senate wait battle year would deepen divisions country you know polarized everything basic said abc this what i want see fighting democratic senator patrick leaky warned delay could consequences november election voters get decide fills senate seats if republican leadership refuses even hold hearing i think going guarantee lose control senate i think american people stand said cnn state democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders said constitution clear the president makes appointment senate confirms let get business senator vermont said fox news one possible contender replace scale appeals court judge sri srinivasan credentials stellar resume his nomination could make politically challenging republicans block anyone put forward obama cruz texas lawmaker sits senate judiciary committee takes lead supreme court nominees said vacancy left scale made presidential election even critical he warned justice chosen sanders democratic presidential rival hillary clinton would mean second amendment right bear arms would written constitution abortion demand would become law land republican senator marco rubio florida another white house candidate said would want someone echoed scale originals ideology looks constitution lens farmers intentions republican presidential donald trump appearing nbc direct asked would want someone like justice that would mean someone let ideological differences preclude civility even friendship former president bill clinton told cnn citing scale bond liberal justice ruth baker ginsburg ginsburg statement sunday called friend jurist captivating brilliance wit disagreed she cited duet sung two justices opera titled we different she scale ginsburg wrote different interpretation written texts one reverence constitution institution additional reporting joan biskupic alan wise timothy gardner washington sara squez maria texas writing doing chick editing jonathan oasis peter county sap sponsor content it independently created reuters editorial staff funded part sap otherwise role