US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away at the age of 79.
Appointed by Ronald Reagan to the Supreme Court in 1986, he served for 29 years and was the first Italian-American appointed to the position.
The San Antonio Express News reports that Scalia's body was discovered in his room in a luxury resort in Texas on Saturday morning after he failed to appear at breakfast.
Scalia was known for his strident and often provocative conservative views, and became a deeply divisive figure over the course of his three decades in the Supreme Court.
Speaking in the aftermath of the news, Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz urged the Senate to ensure that sitting US president Barack Obama not be allowed to choose a new justice for the Supreme Court.
Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 13, 2016
However, President Obama has confirmed that he will choose a candidate to replace Scalia, saying "there will be plenty of time to do so" and for the Senate to discuss his nomination:
Edward Snowden took to Twitter to suggest any failure to appoint a successor before November could negatively impact the Republican party in the upcoming presidential election:
Counterpoint: Failing to confirm a #Scalia replacement could significantly increase voter turnout, which historically works against GOP.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 13, 2016
Meanwhile, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump described the death of Mr Scalia as a 'massive setback' for the US:
The totally unexpected loss of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a massive setback for the Conservative movement and our COUNTRY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2016
Texas Governor Greg Abbot released a statement on the death of Scalia, calling him "a man of God, a patriot, and an unwavering defender of the written Constitution and the Rule of Law".
.@GovAbbott statement on death of Antonin Scalia pic.twitter.com/Y8NeuMWubm
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) February 13, 2016
Scalia's death leaves just eight justices sitting in the Supreme Court, opening up the possibility of a 4-4 tie on decisions. According to Vox, any of Scalia's votes on decisions that have not yet been carried down by the court will be invalidated.
