Anthony Kennedy confirmed in 1988

One can expect pundits and politicians to play fast and loose with facts minus context. But when a news source fails to provide that context, it is disconcerting. In the article "Scalia death ignites political scramble" (Feb. 14), it's stated: "It has been more than 80 years since a Supreme Court justice has been confirmed in an election year to a vacancy that occurred that year."

The Senate confirmed Anthony Kennedy 97-0 on Feb. 4, 1988. That was about 28 years ago – not 80. While the statement may be technically true – Ronald Reagan nominated Kennedy in November of 1987 to replace Justice Lewis Powell who retired that year – I'm sure that if Scalia had died suddenly in November 2015, we'd still be seeing the same Republican obstruction and refusal to do their duty as we see today.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Anthony Kennedy confirmed in 1988."