Uncertainty as US Supreme Court reopens without Scalia

The US Supreme Court resumed public hearings Monday for the first time since the sudden death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia, which left the court evenly divided. Scalia's chair was vacant, draped with black wool crepe in keeping with a tradition dating back to 1873, as the remaining eight justices took their seats. Scalia's death on February 13 at age 79 abruptly ended the conservatives' 5-4 advantage on the high court, giving President Barack Obama an opportunity to tilt it in a more l