‘Everything Has Just Changed': Reaction to Scalia's Death

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away Saturday morning, made several trips to the University of San Diego over the course of his career. Many of the professors who met him expressed their sadness Saturday at losing such a brilliant legal mind and dear friend.

USD law professor Mike Devitt said Justice Scalia always took time to visit his law class and even judged several law competitions. Devitt and Scalia even went fishing together.

“He was very committed to his principles and he would have candid, frank question and answers with my students that I think will last forever,” Devitt told NBC 7.

He remembers him as a witty, brilliant and thoughtful man. Devitt said he hoped the political process moving forward would not obscure the justice’s death and his legacy.

He said people don’t always have to agree with his opinions to know he was a great man who did a lot for his country.

Legal analyst Dan Eaton said the justice’s death throws everything out of whack.

“Justice Scalia’s death has two effects: one that Supreme Court decisions that were going to come down five to four are now all of a sudden four to four, which means there’s no decision.

Secondly, it puts the Supreme Court front and center in the presidential election. This is a big deal both for the development of the law and politics as we know it. Everything has just changed.”

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