Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the Court's most unapologetically anti-gay members and a Constitutional literalist, has been found dead at his West Texas ranch, Republican's Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed in a statement. Scalia was 79.
Scalia is said to have died of natural causes.
Scalia served on the Supreme Court for 30 years, ever since his 1986 appointment by President Ronald Reagan.
Though much is made of how important it is to elect presidents from your party of choice due to Supreme Court appointments, it is rare for Justices to die while still in service. The last to do so was in 2005—Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Before that, it had not happened in 50 years.
Scalia's votes have been almost as egregious as Clarence Thomas's, so don't expect a perfunctory RIP from me. Meanwhile, Ted Cruz is already saying Obama shouldn't be allowed to pick his replacement.
