Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; ardent conservative fought liberalism's tide

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, an eloquent conservative who used a sharp intellect, a barbed wit and a zest for verbal combat to resist what he saw as the tide of modern liberalism, has died. He was 79.

Scalia died while on a hunting trip in Texas, according to a statement issued Saturday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The death was later confirmed by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Supreme Court.

Scalia was a guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a 30,000-acre retreat of antebellum forts in the Big Bend area of West Texas owned by Houston millionaire John Poindexter.

Scalia had gone to his room Friday night and was found dead Saturday after he did not appear for breakfast, the Marshals Service said.

At about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, people at the ranch summoned a Catholic priest from Presidio, 30 miles away, to administer last rites to the justice, who was a Catholic. “It appeared as though he had passed away in his sleep," said Elizabeth O'Hara, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of El Paso.

President Obama paid tribute to Scalia as a "brilliant" jurist who “influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students.” He said Scalia “will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court.”

Scalia was a dominant figure at the court from the day he arrived in 1986, and he could be an intimidating presence for lawyers who had to argue there. He had a deep effect on the law and legal thinking through his Supreme Court opinions and speeches. His sharply worded dissents and caustic attacks on liberal notions were quoted widely, and they had an influence on a generation of young conservatives. - Read More at the latimes

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; ardent conservative fought liberalism's tide

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