It's always awkward when a person dies and, in your overview of the impact of his/her death, you see a chance for an improvement in the welfare of the country.  B. Carfree has expressed that dilemma as tastefully, I think, as possible.  Were it one of the liberal Justices who had died, conservatives would be facing the same dilemma.  billhooper5, below, implies that counterpoint position in his criticism of B. Carfree's post.  

Obviously, the stakes in November's election have just risen.  We can be guaranteed that the GOP controlled Senate will block any Obama nomination.  Therefore, one of the first duties on a newly elected President will be to select a new Supreme Court Justice.  One of the first duties of a newly elected Senate will be to consider that nomination and approve or reject it.  The importance of control of the Senate has just spiked up several notches.