ATLANTA, Ga. -- Emory Law Professor Sasha Volokh spent a year after law school clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court.
While there, he spent a lot of time speaking with Justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead Saturday in Texas.
Volokh said the fiery dissents Scalia was famous for will be read by law students for decades to come.
"He wrote opinions that are so fun and interesting that people who write textbooks are going to be excerpting those opinions for a very long time," said Volokh, who clerked under Justices O'Connor and Alito.
Volokh called Scalia one of the most impactful justices in a generation.
Scalia, who was first appointed to the Supreme Court during the Regan administration in 1986, became one of the court's most outspoken conservatives. He was a steadfast opponent of affirmative action and abortion rights.
But Volokh said while Scalia will be remembered for his conservative views, he's a much more comlicated justice than meets the eye.
"It's important to remember that he made an important mark on areas that are not liberal or conservative at all," Volokh said, "for example, he was always a very strong proponent of strick separation of powers."
Scalia also led the court in expanding the rights of defendants to confront their accusers in court.
Scalia's death leaves the country in an interesting position.
With a presidential election approaching, many republican Senate leaders have said they won't confirm any nominee the president sends to them. President Obama Saturday night says those threats won't deter him.
"Justice Scalia really knew that Supreme Court justices have immense power for good or evil," Volokh said, "so it is absolutely appropriate to think about which direction the country is going to go with his replacement."
