Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dead at 79
Justice Antonin Scalia, the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court and the erudite anchor of its conservative wing, died Saturday at a ranch in West Texas. He was 79.
Initial reports said Scalia arrived at the resort on Friday, attended a party and then failed to show up for breakfast the next morning.
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The U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI and the Presidio County sheriff are all investigating the incident, according to the San Antonio Express-News, though there was no indication of foul play.
"On behalf of the Court and retired Justices, I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away," said Chief Justice John G. Roberts in a statement. "He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. His passing is a great loss to the Court and the country he so loyally served. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Maureen and his family."
Though the death of a Supreme Court justice is always a major event, Scalia's death carries even bigger weight at this particular time. President Barack Obama will now have the opportunity to nominate a new justice to the court -- the third such opportunity of his presidency.
But Republicans in the Senate and on the campaign trail were already making it clear Saturday night that they would try to block any Obama nominee until a new president could make a pick.
Scalia's death also leaves the court with a 4-4 split between its conservative and liberal justices, meaning Obama or a Democratic successor could tip the balance of power among the justices.
As the longest serving justice, nominated by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia was considered a conservative leader of the Supreme Court, and served as a critical voice during major decisions on issues such as the Voting Rights Act and the death penalty.
As the most consistent conservative voice on the court, Scala argued forcefully that the Constitution offered no specific right to abortion and he voted to strike down laws that made distinctions by gender, race or sexual orientation.
And last June, Scalia issued a stinging and mocking dissent to the court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Scalia argued that the court had usurped the rights of the states and their citizens to make their own decisions on the issue.
"This is a naked judicial claim to legislative -- indeed, super-legislative -- power; a claim fundamentally at odds with our system of government," Scalia wrote. "A system of government that makes the people subordinate to a committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a democracy."
As was the case in the same-sex marriage ruling, Scalia was much better known for such biting dissents than groundbreaking rulings.
And since he was so stridently on the conservative side of the court, he never played the critical swing role that more moderate Justices, like his colleague Anthony M. Kennedy, has long occupied.
Justice Scalia was also, memorably, part of the court’s majority that handed the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, ruling 5-4 that there could be no further vote counting and ending Al Gore’s hopes for the highest office.
When Scalia was interviewed about the Bush v. Gore decision by 60 Minutes in 2008, he rejected the notion as "nonsense" that the decision was based on politics, not judicial philosophy.
"Gee, I really don't wanna get into," he said. "I mean this is — get over it. It's so old by now."
In an early statement from the White House, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz released the following comment:
This afternoon the President was informed of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The President and First Lady extend their deepest condolences to Justice Scalia’s family. We’ll have additional reaction from the President later today.
The passing of Scalia will also likely have a major impact on the presidential race.
As news of his death spread, GOP candidate Ted Cruz released a statement:
Shortly after that statement went out, GOP front-runner Donald Trump made his own public statement regarding Scalia's death via Twitter:
President George W. Bush also added his own note remembrance honoring the passing of Scalia:
Additional reporting by Mashable's Jim Roberts.
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Topics Politics Supreme Court
