If you were on the sidelines waiting for everyone to duke it out, then planning to very quietly cast a ballot in November, that all changed.

Now the stakes are as clear as ever.

The future of the nation isn’t about the presidency, nor the Senate.

But both play a role in choosing a Supreme Court justice.

You may not have considered that as important heretofore.

But you should now.

There’s a lot of guff about the Senate blocking Obama from naming a person.

But there is the constitution which says every nominee deserves an up/down vote. I don’t think the Senate can block an acceptable nominee indefinitely.

If Obama is shrewd, and he no doubt will be, his choice will be someone who has bi-partisan appeal.  Someone who has been supported by conservatives.

A few come to mind. And one is a Filipino American woman who heads the California Supreme Court.

See my column here on the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog.

There’s much at stake in this current court year from Obamacare to affirmative action to union and labor issues.  there have been many 5-4 decisions. If there’s a 4-4 tie, the lower court rulings will stand.

It’s critical to get a replacement for Scalia now.

And that’s why every one will now be glued to politics.

Special interests? It’s in all our interests to get this right–the best interests of our American Democracy.

And it’s not just Scalia’s replacement. With a number of judges approaching retirement age, the next group of appointees to come will impact the nation for the next 25 years or more.

If you haven’t been paying attention, Scalia’s passing demands you pay attention now.