Smart Talk: Supreme Court replacement; Preserving historic tavern

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, March 7, 2016:

It seems as though every major decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years has been decided by a 5-4 vote of the justices.  Usually, those one-vote rulings have come down along ideological lines between the so-called conservative and liberal justices.  Justice Anthony Kennedy has often been the deciding vote.

So when Justice Antonin Scalia died last month, the nomination of a new justice was sure to be controversial, because it could swing the direction of the court for years to come.

Republicans said right away that the next nominee should not be named until after a new president is elected so the people can have a say in the selection.

President Obama plans to nominate a justice saying it is his Constitutional duty.

Widener University Commonwealth Law School Professor Michael Dimino appears on Monday’s Smart Talk to discuss what the Constitution says about Supreme Court nominations and their history.

Also, we’ll hear from a new group formed to preserve the historic James Bell Tavern in Cumberland County.  A meeting there in 1788 started momentum toward a Bill of Rights.  The building was partially demolished in January until the history was called to the owners’ attention.

Eric Kelso of the Patriots of Captain James Bell Tavern joins us on Monday’s show.