Thomas Sowell, economist, social theorist, political philosopher, author and  Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, endorses Sen. Ted Cruz. Sowell’s main, and perhaps sole, reason for backing Cruz is the Supreme Court vacancy resulting from the unexpected death of Justice Scalia and the advanced ages of other justices:

The vacancy created on the Supreme Court makes painfully clear the huge stakes involved when we choose a President of the United States, just one of whose many powers is the power to nominate justices of the Supreme Court.

Justice Scalia’s passing would be a great loss at any time. But at this crucial juncture in the history of the nation — with 5-to-4 Supreme Court decisions determining what kind of country America will be — Scalia’s death can be catastrophic in its consequences, depending on who is chosen to be his successor.

Given the advanced ages of other justices, the next president is likely to have enough vacancies to fill to be able to shape the future of the court that helps shape the future of America.

Already many people are complaining that the America they grew up in, and loved, is being changed into something they can barely recognize.

[. . .]

The governors among the Republican candidates can at least be judged by how their track record stands up in running a governmental organization. So can Senator Ted Cruz, who was Solicitor General in Texas. But Senator Marco Rubio has no comparable experience — and his inexperience has shown up in his abortive attempt to join Democrats in promoting amnesty.

If the Republicans are to avoid having Donald Trump lead them — and the country — to disaster, they are going to have to have the majority of non-Trump supporters get behind some given candidate.

Senator Ted Cruz has been criticized in this column before, and will undoubtedly be criticized here again. But we can only make our choices among those actually available, and Senator Cruz is the one who comes to mind when depth and steadfastness come to mind.

As someone who once clerked for a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he will know how important choosing Justice Scalia’s replacement will be. And he has the intellect to understand much more.

Sowell’s endorsement comes as the good folks at the Cruz-supporting Courageous Conservatives PAC launch a powerful new ad entitled “The Courts,” with a message strikingly similar to Sowell’s endorsement of Cruz. Watch the ad:

Thinking about voting for Donald Trump?

Think about this.

First liberal judges banned school prayer.

Then they legalized abortion.

They forced us to educate illegal aliens.

Then they took down the Ten Commandments and in one week upheld ObamaCare, legalized gay marriage and gave the federal government power over our local zoning.

And the left isn’t finished yet!

The courts are the battleground and Justice Scalia’s death makes South Carolina’s choice this week even more important because the next President could replace as many as four Justices.

So who do you trust to make those picks?

Donald Trump with his New York values?

Or Ted Cruz, who won cases before the Supreme Court protecting gun rights, religious freedom and against the World Court.

It’s up to you this Saturday.

This is it.

This is our last chance.

Ted Cruz. For President.

Now. Before It’s Too Late.

The Cruz Campaign argued the same case with another ad Monday — that Donald Trump cannot be trusted to make appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court because of his Liberal Democrat-like support of partial birth abortion as well as other issues including marriage, religious liberty, and the Second Amendment.