Powerful tweets reacting to the death of Justice Scalia that portray his complex legacy

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Presidential Candidates React to Justice Scalia's Death
Presidential Candidates React to Justice Scalia's Death

On Saturday afternoon, Supreme Court justice and reactionary titan Antonin Scalia died of natural causes at Texas resort Cibolo Creek Ranch.

See images of Antonin Scalia through the years:

His death has prompted a wave of strong reactions from both the liberal and conservative camps. News of Scalia's death incidentally came before the Republican primary debates, scheduled to take place on Saturday night. Some have argued this development raises the stakes for the upcoming general elections given the lasting implications of a president's choice in Supreme Court justice when a seat becomes available.



However, neutrality was scant on social media with seemingly most users expressing a range of passionate responses, including Scalia's being hailed as "one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices in history" by Dick Cheney's daughter, Liz.









Then there was the antithetical extreme. A seemingly endless slew of tweets from people celebrating Scalia's death quickly emerged, arguing that given his staunch conservatism — especially his vocal disapproval of same-sex marriage — the country will be better off without Scalia presiding.























And at least one critic of Scalia's role in the Citizens United case chimed in:

For Scalia's vehement opponents, they will likely be relieved at the prospect of President Barack Obama nominating a new Supreme Court Justice to take his place. And with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg at 82 years old, the next president may will be faced with the same task — a task which, as Scalia proved, could have ramifications for decades to come.

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