Robert H. Bork, the conservative jurist whose 1987 Supreme Court nomination the Senate rejected by a record margin after one of the bitterest confirmation battles in US history, has died, according to his son. He was 85. .

The fight over Mr. Bork’s confirmation took on a significance that extended well beyond politics and law. It became a flashpoint in the culture wars between post-’60s liberalism and a resurgent conservatism. To the right, the rejection of Mr. Bork symbolized the triumph of political correctness. To the left, his nomination represented an attempt to impose a reactionary political agenda on the courts. Liberal groups mounted extensive advertising campaigns attacking Mr. Bork.