Watch CBS News

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies At Age 79

(CBS/AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at a ranch in West Texas Saturday morning. He was 79.

The news was first reported by the San Antonio News Express and confirmed by a statement from Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Scalia was found dead ins his room at a West Texas resort and CBS News reports a U.S. Marshal spokesperson says no foul play is suspected and it is believed he died of natural causes.

Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and was known as an outspoken conservative. From 1977 to 1982, Scalia served on the faculty of the University of Chicago Law School.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin released a statement saying, "Justice Scalia served our country for three decades on its highest court. While our opinions on the law and jurisprudence were frequently at odds, he was steadfast and true to his beliefs during his tenure. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time."

Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia at the University Of Chicago Law School in the late 1970s. (Credit U of C)

Scalia's death leaves a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court and sets up a potential nomination fight between President Barack Obama and a Republican-led U.S. Senate in Obama's final year in office.

Scalia used his keen intellect and missionary zeal in an unyielding attempt to move the court farther to the right after his 1986 appointment. He also advocated tirelessly in favor of originalism, the method of constitutional interpretation that looks to the meaning of words and concepts as they were understood by the Founding Fathers.

Scalia's impact on the court was muted by his seeming disregard for moderating his views to help build consensus, although he was held in deep affection by his ideological opposites Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. Scalia and Ginsburg shared a love of opera. He persuaded Kagan to join him on hunting trips.

His 2008 opinion for the court in favor of gun rights drew heavily on the history of the Second Amendment and was his crowning moment on the bench.

He could be a strong supporter of privacy in cases involving police searches and defendants' rights. Indeed, Scalia often said he should be the "poster child" for the criminal defense bar.

But he also voted consistently to let states outlaw abortions, to allow a closer relationship between government and religion, to permit executions and to limit lawsuits.

He was in the court's majority in the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively decided the presidential election for Republican George W. Bush. "Get over it," Scalia would famously say at speaking engagements in the ensuing years whenever the topic arose.

Bush later named one of Scalia's sons, Eugene, to an administration job, but the Senate refused to confirm him. Eugene Scalia served as the Labor Department solicitor temporarily in a recess appointment.

A smoker of cigarettes and pipes, Scalia enjoyed baseball, poker, hunting and the piano. He was an enthusiastic singer at court Christmas parties and other musical gatherings, and once appeared on stage with Ginsburg as a Washington Opera extra.

Ginsburg once said that Scalia was "an absolutely charming man, and he can make even the most sober judge laugh." She said that she urged her friend to tone down his dissenting opinions "because he'll be more effective if he is not so polemical. I'm not always successful."

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.