On February 13th, 2016, this country lost one of the giants of American jurisprudence. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia served on the United States Supreme Court for almost 3 decades. He forever changed how we look at the Constitution, and will be greatly missed in both conservative and liberal circles. However, not even 20 minutes after his death, political spinners on both sides began to do what they do best: Using a tragedy to fit their goals and ideology.

That's why I'm angry. Actually, I am not angry, I am furious.

Republicans and Democrats have turned the death of a legal titan into a political game. It is shameful, it is disgraceful, and I can only hope that this atrocity of modern politics ends soon.

Now, I would like to address the two parties directly.

Dear Democrats,

You are correct in saying that President Obama has the constitutional authority to nominate a successor to Justice Scalia. You are also correct in saying that failure on behalf of the GOP to even consider an Obama nominee is irresponsible. You are wrong, however, on using the death of the Scalia, a conservative member of the court, for your own political gain. You know, as many Americans do, that the current balance of the court is now split 4-4. You know that getting a liberal nominee through the confirmation process, although unlikely, will result in the court leaning left for the first time in years. I can only hope that your arguments supporting the nomination of a Scalia successor stem from your belief in the rule of law and some shred of adherence to the Constitution and not from your own desire for a liberal court. Unfortunately, in this day and age, I tend to believe the latter.

Dear Republicans,

In 2014, the American people gave you the majority in both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2006. They, the governed, gave their consent to be led. Here is your chance.

Lead.

Do not play political games with the Supreme Court. The American court system is the envy of the world, but a 300-day vacancy (the longest in American history by a long shot) would surely go a long way towards changing that, and not for the better. You also feel that a Republican will win the White House in 2016, but we all know that is far from assured. You are gambling with politics, but this is real. The next Supreme Court justice, whoever they may be, will have an effect on all Americans and the rest of world.

I urge you to at least give President Obama's nominee a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and if given the chance, a vote on the floor of the United States Senate. This is the job you were elected to do.

An incomplete court is an incomplete government. An incomplete government is a government that does not work for Americans. The government must work for Americans, not for themselves. I want a fair and judicial Supreme Court justice to replace Justice Scalia, and I personally do not care about their politics. As long as their reverence for the Constitution is as strong as Justice Scalia's was, what's the problem?

My prayers continue to go out to the friends and family of Justice Scalia. I wish that his death could stay out of the 2016 Presidential race, but the wishes of a 19-year-old college student don't really carry much clout. His death was a loss for all Americans, both conservatives and liberals. I do fear, however, that his death was also a loss for those in the American government, who are now showing their true colors.