U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk past a portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after paying their respects at his casket in the U.S Supreme Court's Great Hall in Washington in this February 19, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Files

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any decision not to hold a U.S. Senate hearing on President Barack Obama’s eventual Supreme Court nominee would be unprecedented, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday.

“This would be a historic and unprecedented acceleration of politicizing a branch of government,” Earnest told reporters as top Senate Republicans vowed not to hold a hearing for any Obama choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.