BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dead at 79

OH DEAR GOD …

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead Saturday at a West Texas resort. It appears he died of natural causes. As reported at KVIA, 79 year old SCOTUS Antonin Scalia old died in his sleep last night after a day of quail hunting at Cibolo Creek Ranch outside of Marfa, Texas.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead Saturday, CBS News has confirmed. A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service said he appeared to die of natural causes.

According to the San Antonio News-Express, which was first to report his death, Scalia was found dead in his room at a West Texas resort.

Scalia, 79, was one of the staunchest conservative members of the court. He was nominated in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and is the longest-serving member on the court.

He championed the philosophy of “orginalism,” meaning he interprets the Constitution according to what he believes the original authors intended over 200 years ago.

I could not reiterate more the words from Protein Wisdom more … Prayers for his family and for America. And a few of my own, Oh dear God, heaven help us.

UPDATE I: Supreme Court Justice Scalia dies during hunting trip in Marfa.

Scalia was the longest-serving Justice on the current Supreme Court at the time of his death. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and was unanimously confirmed without a nomination fight to become the Court’s first Italian-American justice.

Scalia and his wife, Maureen, had nine children.  Born March 11, 1936, he was less than a month from his eightieth birthday.

The issue of his replacement is virtually certain to a major political story during a presidential election year.   ABC-7 managing editor and political director Eric Huseby said, “Republican senators will be under enormous pressure from their donors and electoral base to refuse to confirm an appointment from President Obama that would tip the balance of the Court to a 5-4 majority of Democratic appointees.  And the President will surely do all he can to make that position as politically unpalatable and costly as possible.”