Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the leader of the court’s conservative wing and arguably one of the most important judges of his era, was found dead at a West Texas ranch this morning. He was 79 years old.
The news of Scalia’s death was first reported by KVIA and My San Antonio. Texas Gov. Tony Abbott then released a statement confirming the news.
Scalia died of natural causes, federal officials told My San Antonio. He was a guest at the resort Cibolo Creek Ranch, south of Marfa, Texas. He arrived there on Feb. 12 for a private party. When he did not attend breakfast this morning, a person went to his room and discovered his body.
Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey on March 11, 1936, although his family moved to Queens, New York when he was young. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan and began serving in the court in September 1986. He was the longest-serving current member of the court. He was also the first Italian-American to serve on the court.
An ardent conservative, Scalia did not support abortion and was among the dissent in Obergefell vs. Hodges, which allowed same-sex marriage in all 50 states. As USA Today notes, he also strongly believed that the Constitution should be understood as-is, just as the framers intended.
Perhaps Scalia’s most important decision is the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller. In it, he ruled that the Second Amendment did cover individuals who wanted to have a gun at home for self defense.
President Barack Obama will be given an opportunity to nominate a judge for the ninth seat in the court. His nominee will have to be approved by the Senate. Obama has already appointed two justices during his time in office.
Scalia was married to Maureen Scalia, and the two had nine children and 36 grandchildren.