President Obama reminded members of the Senate that they were obligated to do their jobs while expressing his condolences to the family and friends of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone.
They are bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy. They are about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.
But, at this moment most of all we want to think about his family.