In the wake of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's death on Saturday, current and retired Supreme Court Justices are reflecting on his life and legacy.
Justice Scalia has died at the age of 79 while staying at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Presidio County, Texas. The staunchly conservative Supreme Court justice died from natural causes.
President Barack Obama praised Scalia as a "brilliant legal mind" who was "one of the towering legal figures of our time". Obama reflected on Scalian as "one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the supreme court", the Guardian reports.
According to Associated Press, Chief Justice John G. Roberts said in a statement on behalf of the court that Justice Scalia's passing is a great loss to the Court and the country. Justice Roberts reflected on Scalia as an extraordinary individual and jurist and that he admired and treasured by his colleagues.
A Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy, described Scalia's "wisdom, scholarship, and technical brilliance" in a statement. Kennedy admired Scalia's insistent on demanding standards and how it shaped the work of the Court.
Years ago, Justice Kennedy's rulings were dissented by Scalia. In 2000s, Justice Scalia dissented from a series of rulings written by Justice Kennedy that protected gay and lesbian Americans from discrimination, according to the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who differed greatly with Scalia in idelogies, said she and Scalia were "best buddies". Ginsburg said that she and Scalia were bonded over a shared love of the opera, and in their reverence for the Constitution.
Scalia was also described as a legal titan and stylistic genius by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. "He was man of integrity and wit," said Breyer.
Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said Scalia was a briliant man with an "incomparable sense of humor". Stevens said in a statement that Scalia had a major impact on the development of the law, and earned the respect of all his colleagues.
Antonin Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1936 to a staunchly Catholic family. Scalia attended Georgetown University and then Harvard Law School. He entered private practice and then taught law at the University of Virginia before serving in the Ford administration's Justice Department.
Ronald Reagan appointed him to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1982. Scalia joined the Supreme Court in the late 20th century.
