Obama,
justices pay respects to Scalia
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[February 20, 2016]
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack
Obama, the U.S. Supreme Court's eight remaining members, former law
clerks and thousands of ordinary Americans paid respects to the late
Justice Antonin Scalia on Friday as his body lay in repose in the
stately, white-marble courthouse.
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The president and first lady Michelle Obama were greeted by Chief
Justice John Roberts, spoke with some Scalia family members and
briefly stood in silence, heads bowed, in front of Scalia's casket
during an afternoon visit.
Scalia, a staunch conservative and one of the court's most
consequential justices during his three decades on the bench, died
last Saturday at age 79 at a Texas hunting resort.
Earlier, during a brief and somber morning ceremony inside the
courthouse's Great Hall, Roman Catholic priest Father Paul Scalia,
one of Scalia's nine children, delivered a prayer before the eight
justices and members of the Scalia family quietly filed away.
On a chilly, overcast day, Scalia's casket was carried up the
courthouse's grand marble stairs and into its Great Hall by Supreme
Court police officers in ceremonial dress, with a group of former
Scalia law clerks flanking them in two long lines.
Mourners filed past the casket, draped by the red, white and blue
U.S. flag, and the line of people waiting to enter the courthouse
stretched around the block. Among those who visited were two appeals
court judges, Sri Srinivasan and Patricia Millett, who could be
contenders to replace Scalia.
Scalia's funeral service is scheduled for Saturday.
Several of the justices, particularly Elena Kagan, a liberal who
went on hunting trips with her conservative colleague, looked
emotional as they stood in a row while Scalia's casket was placed on
a raised bier. Chief Justice John Roberts, his hands clasped, bowed
his head.
Scalia, appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986 as
the court's first Italian-American, earned a reputation as a
brilliant jurist during an era when the court was dominated by
conservatives. He opposed abortion and same-sex marriage, supported
the death penalty and gun rights, and was known for colorful writing
and, when he was on the losing end of a ruling, stinging dissents.
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His family said he died of natural causes.
His death has provoked a political clash between the Democratic
president and Republicans in the U.S. Senate who are threatening to
block any nominee put forward by Obama to fill Scalia's vacancy. The
Senate must confirm any nominee. An Obama appointment could tilt the
conservative-leaning court to the left for the first time in
decades.
A large entourage of Scalia family members, including his widow,
Maureen, was in attendance. Ninety-eight former Scalia law clerks
took turns standing vigil during the day.
Obama will not attend Scalia's funeral on Saturday at the Basilica
of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, a
decision that provoked criticism from some conservatives. Vice
President Joe Biden will represent the Obama administration at the
funeral.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason;
Editing by Will Dunham)
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