[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.16]The sudden death of United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday
[00:06.72]quickly became part of the presidential campaign.
[00:10.72]Republicans campaigning for the party's presidential nomination
[00:15.16]said President Barack Obama -- a Democrat -- should not try to replace Scalia before he leaves office in January.
[00:25.48]They said he is too close to the end of his presidency.
[00:31.12]Republican front-runner Donald Trump even called on Republican Senate leaders to block the nomination.
[00:39.76]He said, "It's called delay, delay, delay."
[00:44.60]But Democrats said it is the duty of the president to name new justices
[00:51.24]no matter how soon his or her presidency is to end.
[00:56.04]Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told supporters
[01:01.16]"the president has a responsibility to nominate a new justice
[01:05.44]and the Senate has a responsibility to vote."
[01:08.96]Justices serve on the Supreme Court until they leave voluntarily or die.
[01:15.96]Some of them serve for many years after the president who named them leaves office.
[01:23.44]Obama said Saturday that he would seek Senate approval for a new justice before he leaves office.
[01:32.20]"I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time," he said.
[01:41.36]The president also called on the Senate
[01:44.24]"to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.
[01:48.60]These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone.
[01:54.04]They're bigger than any one party -- they're about a democracy."
[01:59.76]Republican Mitch McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader.
[02:04.36]He said the president should not nominate a new justice.
[02:09.32]The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate the power to approve a presidential nominee for the Supreme Court.
[02:17.32]Some political experts have said if the president were a Republican with little time left in office,
[02:24.44]Democrats would be calling for him or her not to name a new justice.
[02:29.96]And they would be calling on the Senate not to vote on the nominee.
[02:35.08]In other words, the experts believe that a politician's positions change
[02:40.76]depending on whether they believe it is good for their political party.
[02:45.88]If the Senate does not confirm a new justice before Obama leaves office,
[02:51.04]the seat will be empty for almost a year.
[02:54.92]It is unusual for a seat on the court to be empty for so long.
[03:00.88]In the past 100 years, ten justices have died while they were on the court.
[03:07.72]They were replaced within about three months on average.
[03:12.48]Republicans say a Supreme Court justice should not be named in a presidential election year.
[03:20.04]But 14 justices have been approved in the same year as a presidential election, including in 1988.
[03:29.24]Many important cases on the court are decided by a vote of 5 to 4.
[03:35.36]Scalia was often on the winning side of cases that conservatives supported.
[03:41.44]But now, without his vote, conservatives cannot win many of their cases
[03:47.64]because there are four liberals on the court.
[03:51.48]A Supreme Court that has eight members can still decide some cases,
[03:57.08]if more than four justices agree.
[04:00.80]Without a fifth vote, many important cases cannot be decided.
[04:07.40]This year the court was to consider many difficult issues
[04:11.96]-- including abortion, immigration and religious freedom.
[04:17.44]I'm Jonathan Evans.