Nation/World

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died at 79

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the fiery conservative who used a sharp intellect, barbed wit and a zeal for verbal combat to fight against 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.

Scalia was a dominant figure at the court from the day he arrived, 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.

But inside the court, his rigid style of conservatism and derisive jabs directed at his colleagues limited his effectiveness. Scalia himself seemed to relish the role of the angry dissenter.

As a justice, he was the leading advocate for interpreting the Constitution by its original words and meaning, and not in line with contemporary thinking. He said he liked a "dead Constitution," not a "living" one that evolves with the times.

Laws can change when voters call for changes, he said, but the Constitution itself should not change through the rulings of judges.

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