CSB/SJU Professor: Amy Klobuchar a Possibility But Not Likely to Replace Scalia

COLLEGEVILLE - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Scalia passed away on Saturday at the age of 79 and was often seen as one of the most conservative members of the court. President Barack Obama has vowed to appoint a new justice while he's still president. Republicans say they will block his nominations.

Phil Kronebusch is a professor of political science at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. He says Klobuchar is an option, but isn't likely to be named as a replacement.

"I think she's a possibility but I think the most likely possibility are those who are current Federal judges or the current Attorney General Loretta Lynch."

On the plus side: Klobuchar could sway a few Republican Senators to approve her nomination.

"It's a little bit of a extra challenge to imagine Republicans in the Senate rejecting one of their own. They can have political differences but Amy Klobuchar has been their colleague for years and they may be more comfortable with someone like that," Kronebusch says.

Kronebusch adds that being a Senator is already an appealing job and isn't sure if she would leave even if offered the position.

President Obama has recently said there's more than enough time for the Senate to consider a nomination to the Supreme Court this year and he intends to make a choice. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Obama's successor should nominate someone to fill the seat of the late Justice Scalia.

Political battle lines were set almost immediately in the hours after Scalia's death.

-This story was written with information from the Associated Press-