Schumer calls for "nuclear option" to block appointment

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In surprise choice Obama names Scalia son to Supreme Court

McConnell vows to bring nomination to vote in 2-3 days

In a complete surprise, President Obama announced today that he will be nominating Eugene “Gino” Scalia, the oldest son of recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin “Nino” Scalia, to fill the seat left vacant by his father’s untimely death.

The younger Scalia, 52, is an accomplished lawyer and serves as partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a Washington D.C.-based global law firm. In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as solicitor for the Department of Labor.

In making the announcement, Obama said that while he recognized that the choice of the younger Scalia would be controversial, “the fact is that Justice Scalia served in that seat for 29 years, so long in fact, that the seat has been fondly called the 'Italian-American' seat. What better Italian-American to fill that seat and honor the memory of his father than his son, Gino."  

The reaction to the announcement was immediate. In a first ever compliment, Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell congratulated President Obama on the nomination and said the binding petition forbidding Obama from nominating a Scalia replacement would be withdrawn. McConnell vowed to have Eugene Scalia’s appointment brought to a vote as soon as possible, perhaps in the next two to three days. 

Reflecting on what some consider his apparent hypocrisy, McConnell said, “I’ve given a lot of thought to my earlier statement that the American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice and that this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” going on to say, “I was so distraught about Justice Scalia’s passing that I spoke too quickly and without thinking, which, as those of you who know me best, I do most of the time.”

Reaction from Democrats was equally swift.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer, vowed to use the obstructionist "nuclear option" saying that all Democratic senators will oppose Obama’s choice of Scalia. In a hastily called press conference, Schumer said, “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice and that this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”