The American Association of University Women (AAUW) joins the nation in mourning the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, including his fellow justices with whom he has helped shape the course of American jurisprudence for nearly 30 years.

The Supreme Court has pending cases that will greatly affect the everyday lives of women and their families, and Justice Scalia’s untimely death creates a vacancy at a critical juncture. It is in the face of losing such a legal giant that we remember how fortunate we are, as a nation, to have a constitutional process to see us smoothly through this transition.

AAUW is hopeful that our elected leaders will rise above the partisan fray and simply do what the Constitution requires: President Barack Obama and the U.S. Senate must move forward to fairly and expeditiously select and consider a nominee. In so doing, the American people will be reassured that a fully staffed court will be available to deliver this year’s critical Supreme Court decisions.