February 19
20:40
2016
By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama this weekend will begin to dig into lengthy and in-depth briefing documents detailing the background and experience of potential nominees to fill the pivotal U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, the White House said on Friday. Obama has phoned Senate leaders in the past day, including Republicans who have threatened to block any nominee made by the Democratic president to replace long-serving conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. The court's ideological balance of power is at stake, and Obama's nominee could tip it to the left for the first time in decades.
