KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died at the age of 79, a government source and family friend told CNN on Saturday.
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He died in his sleep during a visit to Texas.
About Justice Antonin Scalia
- Scalia was the oldest serving Justice on the court
- He served for over 29 years over four decades
- He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986
- Scalia favored a strict construction of the Constitution
- He did not believe in a “living constitution” where the document’s meaning changed based on current context
“He was in large part the architect of the conservative wing of the court,” said Jeff Hacker, partner at Hacker Law Group. “He looked at (the constitution) very strictly.”
When a justice dies, said Hacker, especially one as long-serving as Scalia, it can radically change the court.
“Many of the decisions over the past years have been 5-4 majorities,” said Hacker, who attributed some of the division to Scalia’s emphasis on reading the constitution as the writers of the document would have. “It’s been a very divided court.”
He believes that a successor will be chosen by the current president, Barrack Obama, in the coming months.
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“There will be court business between now and then,” said Hacker,” and there will be an effort to confirm the nominee.”
He said that regardless of who Obama puts forward, they are likely to be confirmed by the senate “regardless of the politics or policy of the nominee.”
The new addition to the court will be a large shake-up to the balance in the court, said Hacker.
The court will be very different,” He said, “particularly if a successor is chosen prior to the election of the next president.”
As for Santa Clarita, Hacker does not know of any local legislation that would be severely impacted by the death.
“The decisions the supreme court makes are on a state and federal level,” he said. “But large scale issues would certainly have an impact on our local community.”
In particular, Hacker cited upcoming decisions regarding reproductive rights and abortion that could change the way those topics are addressed in Santa Clarita.
However, he said, regardless of the future nomination, it is a time to remember a longstanding public servant.
“I think it’s a true loss, regardless of if you agree with Scalia or not,” said Hacker. “He was a very bright guy and he will be missed.”
Ed. Note: CNN is an affiliate of KHTS.
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