Sen. Lindsey Graham: Scalia's Work 'Impacted All Americans'

Sen. Lindsey Graham was among many Senate Republicans Saturday who thanked Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia for his nearly three decades of service, calling him "one of the great legal minds of his generation.

"He is one of the most consequential Justices in the history of the court and our nation has benefitted from his service," the South Carolina senator said. "His work has impacted the lives of all Americans."

Other GOP senators praised Scalia, who was nominated to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986:

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference:

"With his sudden death, our nation lost a stalwart for conservatives and a brilliant constitutional scholar. He was a legal giant who devoted his career to serving our country and his life to serving the Lord."

Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma:

"He was the enduring legacy of the Reagan administration and the conservative standard for not only the Supreme Court but the American judiciary. History will remember Scalia as a stalwart defender of the Constitution and a brilliant legal mind."

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas:

"The power of Justice Scalia's intellect, wit, and judicial method have reverberated throughout American law and conservative thought. … He was a scholar, a patriot, a man of principle, and a man of God."

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa:

"His nearly 30 years of service on the Supreme Court were marked by a commitment to upholding the principles on which our country was founded."

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