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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Visits Santa Clara Law

October 30, 2015 Michelle Waters

Official Scalia sized

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015, Supreme Court Justice Hon. Antonin Scalia visited Santa Clara University. As part of his visit, Justice Scalia gave special lectures to the Law School community.

SFGate reported a summary and photos of the event:

After dissenting from two of the most important rulings in the 2014-15 term — one legalizing same-sex marriage, the other upholding federal insurance subsidies under the national health care law — Scalia said Wednesday the court has long had a majority of justices who disregard the Constitution’s text and original meaning if it conflicts with their views.

“The whole time I have been on my court, it has been a liberal court,” said the 79-year-old justice, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and part of a majority of Republican appointees throughout his tenure.

Scalia said the court’s promotion of what he derisively called the “living Constitution” began in the 1920s, when justices interpreted the guarantee of due process of law to protect fundamental rights not mentioned in the constitutional text.

San Jose Mercury News also posted a recap of the event, providing additional quotes from the evening.

If there was one phrase Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia could eliminate from our vocabulary, it would be “living constitution.”

“God, I hate that phrase,” Scalia said. “I prefer ‘enduring Constitution.’ “

Scalia spoke to a full house at Santa Clara University on Wednesday, a place familiar to the nearly 30-year Supreme Court Justice. He and his wife, Maureen, got married in the chapel on the campus, he noted, and one of his sons graduated from the university in the late 1980s.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia smiles as he speaks during an appearance at UC Hastings in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010. (Ray
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia smiles as he speaks during an appearance at UC Hastings in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010. (Ray Chavez/Staff) (RAY CHAVEZ)

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Speaks at UVa
WCAV – Charlottesville, VA

Scalia did not shy away from making jokes. But he was also more than willing to tackle justice and constitutional law in America, speaking frankly about whether the Constitution had flexibility in its interpretations. Scalia identifies as an “originalist,” meaning he interprets the Constitution in terms of what the viewpoints were at the time of its inception and not those of today. He also opened up about major Supreme Court decisions he was a part of, including those involving abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage.

“For Pete’s sake, (the Constitution) is a legal document,” he said. “It means what it says and it doesn’t mean what it doesn’t say.

“People don’t say anymore, ‘It’s unconstitutional,’ ” he added. “Instead, anything you hate should be prohibited and anything you love should be supported by the Constitution. I don’t know where this comes from.”

@SCUNews, Santa Clara University’s official news network, received special permission to live-tweet the event.