U.S. Senator Dick Durbin paid tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia yesterday.
He says Scalia was a bright, funny and dedicated public servant — though they disagreed on many issues.
But Durbin says he cannot understand why Senate Republicans have vowed to block anyone President Barack Obama nominates to the vacancy.
“Obama was elected for four years. He has eleven months or so left in this term. There’s more than enough time for him to prepare a nominee, submit it to the Senate, go through the orderly process and take a vote," Durbin said.
Senate Republicans — and all the party's presidential candidates — say the decision ought to be left to the winner of the 2016 election.
Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk is up for re-election this year.
He has not yet taken a position on his party’s attempt to block an Obama appointee -- calling the political debate so soon after Scalia’s death “unseemly."
