Donald Trump. REUTERS/Scott Morgan Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump hailed the legacy of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday.

Scalia was found dead at the age of 79 earlier in the day.

"Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice, one of the best of all time," Trump said.

Scalia was a considered a hero by many conservatives because of his sharp wit and consistent advocacy on behalf of originalism, or interpreting the Constitution as its drafters intended it at the time.

"His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms," Trump continued. "He was a justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country."

Trump also described Scalia's death as a "massive setback" for the conservative cause: