Disappointing politics following Scalia's death

It was shocking to hear from presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz that President Obama should not fill the vacancy that has opened due to Supreme Court Justice Scalia's death.

I was disgusted when ABC news reported that Sen. Cruz made remarks even before Justice Scalia's family could confirm the death. I was furious that the presidential candidates did not even wait for a day before making their comments.

This should have been a time of grieving for the Scalias and the nation. During the Republican debate, they were vocal on who would select the next Supreme Court Justice. Instead of memorializing Justice Scalia's accomplishments, candidates complained saying they do not want a bench that gives liberals an upper hand.

A man who served our nation at the highest court for 30 years was treated as if his accomplishments were second to what our politicians wanted. Presidential candidates clearly appeared to be more interested in profiting from his death instead of honoring him. It was truly sickening to see.

Instead of first remembering a brilliant human being who played a key role in many major decisions made by the Supreme Court, they were only focused on their political gain.

In the past we have put our political differences aside when an incident occurs, and it was disturbing to see that we could not come together in this moment.

Prakash D. Nigam

Palatine