Antonin Scalia: The Supreme Court Justice's Life in Pictures

President Ronald Reagan announces the nomination of Antonin Scalia, left, to the Supreme Court with Justice William Rehnquist, right, during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, on June 17, 1986.

Scalia, the influential conservative and most provocative member of the U.S. Supreme Court, has died. He was 79.

Scalia poses with his family in his chambers before court ceremonies on Sept. 26, 1986 in Washington, D.C.

The only child of an Italian immigrant father who was a professor of Romance languages and a mother who taught elementary school, Scalia attended public schools in his native New Jersey, graduated first in his class at Georgetown University and won high honors at the Harvard University Law School. He taught law and served in Republican administrations before Reagan made him an appeals court judge in Washington in 1982. Scalia and his wife, Maureen, had nine children.

Retiring Chief Justice Warren Burger, right, administers an oath to Scalia, as his wife, Maureen, holds the bible during ceremonies in the East Room of White House, Washington on Sept. 26, 1986.

Scalia was the 103rd person to sit on the court. Scalia deeply influenced a generation of conservative legal thinkers and was a lightning rod for criticism from the left almost from the moment President Ronald Reagan put him on the court in 1986.

New U.S. citizens, led by Supreme Court Justice Scalia, recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the re-opening of Ellis Island in New York on Sept. 10, 1990.

U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, David Souter, Antonin Scalia, Sandra Day O'Connor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Harry Blackmun, White and Anthony Kennedy are seen in Washington, D.C. in November 1991.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, left, and Scalia, center, pose with the cast members of "Ariadne auf Naxos" following a performance at the Washington opera on Jan. 8, 1994 in Washington. The justices, both opera lovers, appeared as extras during the performance.

A smoker of cigarettes and pipes, Scalia enjoyed baseball, poker, hunting and playing the piano. He was an enthusiastic singer at court Christmas parties and other musical gatherings, and once appeared on stage with Ginsburg as a Washington Opera extra.

Scalia has the smile of a successful hunter as he is escorted through the Jackson International Airport by U.S. Marshalls and an airport police officer on April 3, 1997. Scalia bagged a 20-pound turkey while hunting with friends near Hattiesburg, Miss.

The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, left, presents Scalia with an honorary degree during commencement ceremonies at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on May 15, 1999.

Scalia pauses during a "constitutional conversation" with fellow justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer at the National Archives on April 21, 2005 in Washington.

Scalia laughs with the President of the Columbus Citizens' Foundation, while members of the U.S. Secret Service officers look on during the Columbus Day Parade in New York on Oct. 10, 2005. Scalia served as the Grand Marshall for the 2005 Columbus Day celebration.

Scalia speaks during a news conference on Oct. 8, 2005 in New York.

The justices of the Supreme Court pose for their class photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on March 3, 2006. Front row from left are; Anthony Kennedy, John Paul Stevens, Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia and David Souter. Top from left are Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Samuel Alito.

Scalia listens to President Bush speak during a swearing-in ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington on June 7, 2006.

Scalia smiles at the humorous comments of Supreme Justice John Paul Stevens, not seen, towards Scalia during the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals annual dinner in Chicago on May 19, 2008.

Scalia shakes hands as Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, right, watches after exiting Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle following the 55th Annual Red Mass celebration on Oct. 5, 2008, in Washington.

Scalia waits while being introduced before his speech in Kiva Auditorium at Albuquerque Convention center for an event co-sponsored by the Federalist Society and the University of New Mexico on April 14, 2009 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for their official photo on Sept. 29, 2009 at the Supreme Court in Washington. Font row, left to right: Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Back row, left to right: Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor.

Scalia testifies before the House Judiciary Committee's Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee on Capitol Hill on May 20, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Scalia and fellow Associate Justice Stephen Breyer testified to the subcommittee about the Administrative Conference of the United States.

Scalia testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Considering the Role of Judges Under the Constitution of the United States" in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on Oct. 5, 2011.

Scalia shakes hands with Wesleyan University president Michael S. Roth before speaking in Middletown, Conn., on March 8, 2012. Scalia was a guest of the university as part of its annual Hugo Black Lecture that focuses on freedom of expression and First Amendment issues.

Scalia and his wife Maureen M. Scalia arrive for a State Dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House in Washington on March 14, 2012.

Scalia speaks during a ceremony naming a courtroom at The John Marshall Law School after former Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg on Sept. 28, 2012 in Chicago.

Supreme Court Justices attend the 57th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony for President Barack Obama's second term in office at the United States Capitol on Jan. 21, 2013.

Scalia chats with United States Coast Guard Academy Superintendent Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz on the steps of Hamilton Hall after being welcomed to the academy on March 18, 2014, in New London, Conn. Scalia addressed the corps of cadets as the 2014 Hedrick Fellow. The Hedrick Fellow program brings renowned political, military and industry leaders to the academy to share their knowledge and insight.

Scalia smiles while signing his book "Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts" at an event sponsored by the Federalist Society at the New York Athletic Club in New York on Oct. 13, 2014.

Scalia waits during an introduction before speaking at the University of Minnesota as part of the law school's Stein Lecture series in Minneapolis on Oct. 20, 2015. The presence of three women on the Supreme Court isn't enough to persuade Scalia that the court has become a diverse body.