Robert Bork dead: Conservative Supreme Court Justice nominee, judge dies at age 85

Conservative judge Robert Bork died early Wednesday at the age of 85 at his home in Virginia, two sources close to his family told CNN.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated Bork as a Supreme Court Justice, only to have the nomination fall apart in a contentious confirmation battle after left-leaning groups opposed Bork's conservative judicial philosophies.

This fall, he was tapped to co-chair Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's justice advisory committee.