Sen. Orrin Hatch: Expect 'Dog Fight' Over Obama Court Nominee

Sen. Orrin Hatch said Saturday that Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was "a staunch conservative who believed that we had to interpret the laws as they are made.

"He was one of the all-time great justices and was somebody you could enjoy with a sense of humor," the Utah Republican told Bret Baier on Fox News. "That is going to be a tremendous loss to the court."

Hatch, the Senate's longest serving GOP member who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he expected "a dog fight" in Congress on any nominee put forth by President Barack Obama.

"This was one of the all-time conservative justices on the court — and the Republicans are justified in saying the next president may make the next appointment," he told Baier. "That is probably a wise way of solving it.

"Otherwise, there will be the biggest dog fight you have ever seen."

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