Minutes after the news broke that Justice Antonin Scalia had passed away, conservative media figures began urging Republican senators to block any selection President Obama would make to replace him:

Senate must simply refuse to appoint anybody. Would be outrageous to replace a giant like Scalia with a minnow like Sotomayor.

-- Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 13, 2016

If Scalia has actually passed away, the Senate must refuse to confirm any justices in 2016 and leave the nomination to the next president.

-- Sean Davis (@seanmdav) February 13, 2016

Scalia was part of a conservative bloc on the Supreme Court that regularly overturned progressive legislation and precedent, making any replacement a contested issue in both the Senate and the 2016 presidential election with major national implications.