Photo by Erich Schlegel
Story by Craig Nyhus, LSONews
U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia died of natural causes on February 13 at Cibolo Creek Ranch near Marfa, He was 79.
Ranch manager, George Van Etten, told Lone Star Outdoor News that Scalia attended a party Friday night with about 40 other guests at the ranch and went to bed early. He did not wake up for the pre-hunt breakfast and ranch owner John Poindexter found him dead in his private suite. Etten also said this was the first time Scalia had been to the ranch in far West Texas.
Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was the longest-serving current justice on the Supreme Court.
Scalia was known and described as an originalist, dedicated to the idea that the meaning of the words in the Constitution are fixed based on the framers’ understanding at the time they were drafted, and not subject to reinterpretation in later times.
Cibolo Creek Ranch south of Marfa, Texas where Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died Saturday. Photo by Erich Schlegel
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement:
“Justice Antonin Scalia was a man of God, a patriot, and an unwavering defender of the written Constitution and the Rule of Law.”
Scalia was the author of the Supreme Court decision in the District of Columbia v. Heller, which held that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes and held that handguns are “arms” for the purposes of the Second Amendment.
Scalia was an avid hunter and received publicity after taking Justice Elena Kagan hunting after her confirmation to the court. The justices, who often disagreed on legal opinions, hunted quail, pheasant and pronghorn together.
Photo by Antonin Scalia Facebook
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