U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, the longest serving justice on the country’s top court, has died while on vacation in Texas, the state’s governor says. He was 79.
“Justice Antonin Scalia was a man of God, a patriot, and an unwavering defender of the written Constitution and the Rule of Law,” Texas Governor Abbott said in a statement. “He was the solid rock who turned away so many attempts to depart from and distort the Constitution. His fierce loyalty to the Constitution set an unmatched example, not just for judges and lawyers, but for all Americans.”
Scalia died while staying at the Cibolo Creek Ranch resort near Marfa, located in West Texas, according to the San Antonio-Express News. Scalia reportedly arrived at the ranch on Friday and attended a private party, but he failed to appear for breakfast in the morning, after his body was discovered in his room. His cause of death was not immediately known.
Scalia, a well-known conservative, was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He was the longest-serving justice.
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