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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies At 79

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TEXAS (CBSMiami) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at a West Texas resort Saturday.

An official with the U.S. Marshals said he appeared to die of natural causes, CBS News confirmed.

As the first Italian-American to sit on the Supreme Court, Scalia was a towering legal figure with a larger than life personality. He was also a reliable conservative vote.  On abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, gay - Scalia clashed early and often with more moderate or left-leaning justices.

His legal writings were known for their colorful and acerbic language, quoting everyone from Cole Porter to Shakespeare to Sesame Street, whoever best allowed him to defend his deeply held belief that the original text of the U.S. Constitution was to be followed, no matter what.

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Miami attorney Joe Klock helped argue a case before Scalia. It was one of the court's most famous cases and decisions - the 5-4 vote that gave the White House to George W. Bush.

"It was very exciting," said Klock  "Without question the most active....asked very, very sharp questions."

A staunch conservative, Scalia, 79, was nominated in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and was the longest-serving member on the court. He was the son of Italian immigrants, born in New Jersey and raised in Queens, New York. He graduated from Georgetown University and Harvard Law School.

His replacement would be President Obama's third nomination after previously nominating Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan for the job.

Scalia is survived by his wife, nine children and more than two dozen grandchildren. At last check, funeral arrangements for Scalia had not been announced.

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