Towleroad:

Maddow explained that while reports saying we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis are premature, such an assessment would be accurate should Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell make good on his threats to block any nominee President Obama appoints to fill Scalia’s spot on the bench. Maddow also explained one big reason why leaving a spot on the Supreme Court vacant in an election year is a bad idea: what if the Supreme Court has to, as it did in 2000, decide who wins the presidential election? A tie in the electoral college is not unforeseeable this year and, as happened in 2000, a closely contested race in any number of states could lead to a recount, which could lead to legal challenges, which could lead to the Supreme Court having to in effect decide the winner and the loser of the election. But what if there were a 4-4 split since, if Republicans got their way, there would be only 8 justices on the highest court in the land? Then what?

There was recently a tie in the electoral college—on the brilliant HBO comedy Veep.