What will happen to the United States Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia?
His unexpected death has suddenly raised the stakes of the 2016 presidential election. It's not only control of the White House that the American people will decide but in turn the judiciary as well.
Scalia's absence calls into question the 5-4 conservative majority on the court. It seems probable that a Democratic president elected next November would guarantee liberal control of the high court, while a Republican victory would lead to a conservative majority for another four or eight years.
The Republican-controlled Senate is likely to resist any replacement named by President Obama in his final months in office, leaving the decision hanging over the presidential campaign and giving the next president an enormous prize the moment he or she is inaugurated.
