U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's funeral service on Saturday, Feb. 20 gave a break to Washington in its attempt to decide on his successor. His memorial service was attended by political leaders, justices, lawmakers, judges, present and former vice presidents and a presidential candidate.
Justice Scalia, the longest serving member of the Supreme Court passed away at the age of 79 last week in Texas. Scalia's funeral service took place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and was led by one of his nine children, Reverend Paul Scalia. There are about 3,000 attendees at the service, including Vice President Joseph Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney, Presidential candidate Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, and family members, Yahoo reports.
"God blessed Dad as is well known with a love for his country," Reverend Scalia said during the homily in the s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. "He knew well what a close run thing the founding of our nation was and he saw in that founding, as did the founders themselves, a blessing - a blessing quickly lost when faith is banned from the public square or when we refuse to bring it there."
Scalia's funeral was the second for a present member of the court since Justice Robert H. Jackson died in 1954, and the first since Justice William H. Rehnquist passed away in 2005, according to New York Times. On Friday, Scalia's remain was visited by President Barack Obama, and the eight other justices in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. Scalia's death sparked political debate that could affect the 2016 presidential elections. Obama has pledged to choose a successor to Scalia while most of the republicans believe that no one should replace the judge until the election in November.
Obama was not present during Scalia's funeral. "Historic firsts are important," Neil Mattera, president of the New York-based Columbus Alliance said, New York Post cites. "Justice Scalia was the first Italian-American on the Supreme Court. It would have been nice if the President of the United States would have recognized its importance to the community."
Judge Scalia was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He was the longest-serving member of the present court after Justice John Paul retired in 2010. Scalia's friends fondly called him Nino, who's known for throwing jokes at his own expense. He is regarded as a brilliant jurist who resisted same-sex marriage and abortion. He was a firm advocate of gun rights and death penalty.
After Scalia's funeral, Washington will be for sure focusing on the former judge's replacement. Under the law, the president has the right to nominate Supreme Court justices. However, Senate Republicans have warned to block any nomination by Obama.
