Every time I hear wingers say that they love judicial restraint and hate judges who legislate from the bench I think ofBush v. Gore, which was perhaps the most overtly partisan opinion ever issued by the Supremes. We have a new entry in Justice Scalia’s lone wolf opinion/rant in the Arizona immigration case.
Nino’s mind is apparently boggled by the Obama administration. Guess it boggles easily but *my* mind is boggled by the ad hominem and intemperate language used by Scalia. The Supremes are most respected when they float loftily above the politics of the day but Scalia seems to have forgotten this. He’s also finally worn out his welcome among the“respectful disagreement” crowd.
Newt Gingrich has been described as a dumb person’s idea of a smart person. I’ve heard the same remark made about Antonin Scalia, and until today I would have said that was unfair. Scalia has always had a taste for over-the-top rhetorical flourishes, as well as an unnecessarily high opinion of his own intellect, but these weaknesses had to be balanced against … oh never mind, I can’t do this any longer.
Scalia, who 25 years ago had a certain gift for pointing out the blindness and hypocrisy of certain versions of limousine liberalism, has in his old age become an increasingly intolerant and intolerable blowhard: a pompous celebrant of his own virtue and rectitude, a purveyor of intemperate jeremiads against the degeneracy of the age, and now an author of hysterical diatribes against foreign invaders, who threaten all that is holy.
Nino is a crank who may eventually be found on his porch with a shotgun demanding that skateboard kids show him their papers. It’s quite revealing that his favorite hunting buddy is former Vice President Duce who was a cranky old man in utero
There was an urban myth that circulated at Tulane Law School when I went there in the late ’80’s. It involved Scalia and a liberal law professor who will remain nameless since I’m unsure as to whether or not the story is true. Once upon a time, Scalia lectured at Tulane Law’s Greek Isles summer course. The story goes that the professor in question got extraordinarily drunk one evening. (Not sure if Ouzo was the culprit but I haven’t touched the stuff since an episode in the Plaka eons ago.) The prof was seated next to the Justice and, well, tossed his cookies on Scalia’s lap. I’ve heard dozens of versions of what Scalia said at that point but this is my favorite: “You call this respectful disagreement?”