U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Has DIed Aged 79

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, known for his fiery comments on and off the bench, has died, Texas' 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. He was the solid rock who turned away so many attempts to depart from and distort the Constitution," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. "We mourn his passing, and we pray that his successor on the Supreme Court will take his place as a champion for the written Constitution and the Rule of Law."

Scalia was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan, who named him as Associate Justice. A lawyer by trade, he entered public service in the 1970s as general counsel for President Richard Nixon and as the Assistant Attorney General.

This is an important moment as it leaves the U.S. Supreme Court in an even ideological divide between the conservative and liberal wings of the court.  Given the current political climate in the U.S. and the rights abject hatred of President Obama any chance of having the Senate confirm any nominee before that august body and having them confirmed are near zero.