Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz praised Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday at the age of 79, as a jurist who "fundamentally changed how courts interpret the Constitution."
"As liberals and conservatives alike would agree, through his powerful and persuasive opinions, Justice Scalia fundamentally changed how courts interpret the Constitution — returning focus to the original meaning after decades of judicial activism," the Texas senator said on Facebook.
"He was an unrelenting defender of religious liberty, free speech, federalism, the constitutional separation of powers, and private property rights," he said. "All liberty-loving Americans should be in mourning.
"Scalia's three decades on the court was one of President [Ronald] Reagan's most consequential legacies."
He later hinted on Twitter the importance of the roles of the president and Congress in naming a successor to the high court:
Republican presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said on Twitter: