Obama: ‘I Plan to Fulfill My Constitutional Responsibilities to Nominate a Successor’ to Scalia

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
"Good evening, everybody. Almost 30 years justice Antonin Nino Scalia was a larger than life president on the bench. Brilliant legal mind and an energetic style and decisive wit and colorful opinions. He influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students and profoundly shaped the legal landscape. He will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers on the supreme court. Justice Scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy and the rule of law. Tonight, we honor his extraordinary service to our nation and remember one of the more toweringes of our time. Antonin Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey to an Italian immigrant family. And after graduating from Georgetown, he work withed in a law firm before entering a life of public service. He was assistant attorney general for the office of legal council and the judge on the circut and associate justice of the supreme court. A devout catholic he was a proud father of nine children and grandfather to many loving grandchildren. Justice Scalia was an acid hunter and opera lover and a passion for music that he shared with justice Ruth vader- gins berg. Michelle and I were proud to welcome him to the White House with a state dinner for prime minister David Cameron and tonight we join his fellow justices in mourning this remarkable man. Obviously today, is a time to remember justice Scalia's legacy. I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time and there will be plenty of time for me to do so and the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These 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 to make sure it functions as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned. But at the this moment, we most of all want to think about his family. Michelle and I join the nation in sending our deepest symptthees to his wife Maureen and their loving family. A beautiful symbol of a life well lived and we thank them for sharing justice Scalia with our