One of the United States Supreme Court’s most iconic and bombastic justices has died of natural causes. He was 79. Justice Antonin Scalia was vacationing in Texas when he failed to attend breakfast. A staff member went to his room and found the body.
Scalia, appointed by President Ronald Reagan was regarded as the intellectual anchor of the conservative wing of the Court. He championed the originalist view of Constitutional interpretation. Despite his vaunted intellectual prowess he often laced his opinions and dissents with down to earth language, believing that it was important to communicate in ways that reached the average person and not just lawyers.
In an odd twist, Scalia was often reported as a close personal friend of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, perhaps the Court’s most liberal justice. The two shared the joys of dining out and attending the opera. Antonin Scalia was regarded remarkably charming even by those with whom he openly disagreed.
As the standard of judicial conservatism, Scalia was often held up by conservative Republicans as the ideal upon which to judge future nominees to the Supreme Court. A Catholic, Scalia agreed with his religion in opposing abortion, but bucked his faith in his support of the death penalty.
HIs death opens an opportunity for President Obama to change the direction of the Court before leaving office. He will need to work with the Republican majority in the Senate to find a confirmable replacement.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.