Sotomayor: U.S. Supreme Court still feeling loss of Scalia

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for a group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010. Seated from left to right are: Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, from left are: Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 | 5 p.m.

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor says the high court continues to deeply feel the loss of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Sotomayor said Monday at the University of Minnesota that the Supreme Court was designed to have nine justices to break ties. She says the justices are doing the best they can since Scalia's death in February. She says when the justices can find a narrow window of agreement, they use it.

Sotomayor did not directly address how filling Scalia's seat has become a divisive issue in the presidential race. But she says the justices need to be a court of nine, not eight, to do their job properly.

The Republican-controlled Senate has so far refused to act on President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to replace Scalia.