Law Professor Considers Future Supreme Court After Scalia
February 14, 2016
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Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13, University of Baltimore School of Law Professor Charles Tiefer writes in his Forbes column about the impact of an even split in the court on ideological cases, and how the three branches of the federal government are likely to handle the appointment of a new justice.
"On many cases, the most common ideological divide on the Supreme Court will likely be 4-4. A case that concludes with a 4-4 vote would affirm the decision of the lower court, but without an opinion," Tiefer writes. "A 4-4 decision is not considered precedent to govern future Supreme Court cases. The individual case gets decided, but—in the areas that are closely divided ideologically—the corpus of the law will basically be on autopilot, with no one at the wheel."
Read more about Prof. Tiefer's thoughts on the Supreme Court after Scalia.
Learn about Prof. Charles Tiefer.