The supreme court justice Antonin Scalia has died.
The Republican Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a statement confirming the news and paying tribute to Scalia, a noted and staunch conservative.
The San Antonio Express News reported that Scalia was found dead on Saturday at a ranch in the Big Bend region of Texas, south of Marfa, and said he had been staying at a ranch for a private party, and was discovered to have died after not attending a breakfast.
Abbott's statement concluded: "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.