WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will not attend Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral Saturday, but will visit the Supreme Court Friday to pay their respects as he lies in repose.
It appears Obama will be the first president to skip a sitting Supreme Court Justice’s funeral in recent years.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden would attend the funeral Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
When asked whether Obama’s Saturday plans include golfing, Earnest stressed instead that the president believes it is important to honor Scalia’s life and service.
Scalia died on Saturday at age 79.
He joined the court in 1986 and was its longest-serving justice.
Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died in 2005, was the last member of the high court to lie in repose. His funeral was attended by then-President George W. Bush.
Obama has said he will nominate a replacement for Scalia with “plenty of time” for the Senate to act.
@chrislhayes @POTUS should definitely attend. It's the Presidential thing to do. It's the right thing to do. #Scalia
— TheLiberalDeadHead (@LiberalDeadHead) February 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/JammieWF/status/700028884918534145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
