During a press briefing on Wednesday, the White House confirmed that President Obama will not be attending the funeral of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Instead of attending the funeral, the President and first lady will pay their respects on Friday at the Great Hall of the Supreme Court building, where Scalia’s body will lie in repose.

At the briefing, White House press secretary Josh Earnest also announced that Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will attend the funeral — which will be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception — on behalf of the administration.

As NBC News reports, “When asked whether Obama’s Saturday plans include golfing, Earnest stressed instead that the President believes it is important to honor Scalia’s life and service.”

The news comes after rising tensions over Scalia’s replacement. Many republicans, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and nearly all of the GOP Presidential candidates, have called for the republican-controlled Senate not to confirm a nominee during an election year.

For his part, Obama has said that he will appoint a nominee and said that republicans should “do their job” and not hinder the process. The President has yet to decide on who he will nominate, but said in an earlier press conference not to “assume anything about the qualifications of the nominee other than they’re going to be well qualified.”

For more information on how Scalia’s passing affects the pending and forthcoming Supreme Court cases, be sure to read this full run-down by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Russ Read.