MoreSenate Leaders Spar on Whether Next President Should Pick Antonin Scalia’s ReplacementHow Scalia’s Faith Reshaped the Supreme CourtHow Scalia’s Death Could Shake Up GOP Race Antonin Scalia was not a great shaper of laws during his nearly 30 years on the United States Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the brilliant and polarizing conservative, who died on Sunday at 79, ranks among the most influential justices of modern times. How can that be? The great shapers of law are the justices who excel at building majorities in support of their opinions.