Scalia's Court: A Legacy of Landmark Opinions and Dissents

by Antonin Scalia, Kevin A. Ring (Editor)

Overview

"The passing of this brilliant jurist is a great loss, but his writings—with their plain language and constitutional moorings—will guide generations to come." - Speaker of the House Paul Ryan 

The sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia shook America. After almost thirty years on the Supreme Court, Scalia had become as integral to the institution as the hallowed room in which he sat. His wisecracking interruptions during oral arguments, his unmatched legal wisdom, his unwavering dedication to the Constitution, and his blistering dissents defined his leadership role on the court and inspired new generations of policymakers and legal minds.

Now, as Republicans and Democrats wage war over Scalia’s lamentably empty Supreme Court seat, Kevin Ring, former counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Constitution Subcommittee, has taken a close look at the cases that best illustrate Scalia’s character, philosophy, and legacy. In Scalia’s Court: A Legacy of Landmark Opinions and Dissents, Ring collects Scalia’s most memorable opinions on free speech, separation of powers, race, religious freedom, the rights of the accused, abortion, and more; and intersperses Scalia's own words with an analysis of his legal reasoning and his lasting impact on American jurisprudence.

“I don’t worry about my legacy,” Scalia once told an audience at the National Archives. “Just do your job right, and who cares?”

Now that "the lion of American law has left the stage,” as the U.S. Attorney General put it, it is for the rest of America to worry about his legacy—and to care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621575337
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	04/04/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	592
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Kevin Ring has been involved in conservative policymaking and politics for more than 20 years. He began his career in Washington, D.C., as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. During his tenure, he served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary’s Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights Subcommittee under the leadership of future U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

He also served as executive director for the Republican Study Committee, the largest member organization in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin became a lobbyist in 1999 and was twice named one of K Street’s Top Lobbyists. He now serves as the vice president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM).

Kevin is a graduate of Syracuse University and the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Scalia's Philosophy 1

Chapter 2 Interpreting Laws 21

Chapter 3 Separation of Powers 41

Chapter 4 Race 73

Chapter 5 Abortion 91

Chapter 6 Gun Rights 131

Chapter 7 Death Penalty 175

Chapter 8 Rights of the Accused 227

Chapter 9 Religious Freedom 275

Chapter 10 Illegal Immigration 327

Chapter 11 Homosexuality 353

Chapter 12 Sexual Equality 403

Chapter 13 Free Speech 443

Chapter 14 Non-Speech and Un-Free Speech 475

Chapter 15 Obamacare 497

Chapter 17 Other "Rights" 525

Epilogue Scalia's Legacy 541

Acknowledgments 545

Notes 547

Bibliography 553

Index 561

Editorial Reviews

"Justice Scalia did more to advance originalism and judicial restraint than anyone in our time, and it all started with just two words: 'I dissent.' The passing of this brilliant jurist is a great loss, but his writings—with their plain language and constitutional moorings—will guide generations to come."
—Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

"He was a jurist of captivating brilliance and wit, with a rare talent to make even the most sober judge laugh. The press referred to his 'energetic fervor,' 'astringent intellect,' 'peppery prose,' 'acumen,' and 'affability,' all apt descriptions. He was eminently quotable, his pungent opinions so clearly stated that his words never slipped from the reader's grasp."
—Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court

From the Publisher

06/15/2016
Uncharacteristically, the editor of this collection of excerpts from former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's (1936–2016) landmark opinions and dissents is not an academic. Instead, Ring's expertise developed during his roles in public service as counsel to Sen. John Ashcroft and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights Subcommittee. This illustrative work is a reprise of, and addition to, Ring's Scalia Dissents: Writings of the Supreme Court's Wittiest, Most Outspoken Justice. As with its previous iteration, this title showcases Scalia's ever-provocative and often controversial opinions, frequently delivered in his famous dissents. Not only does this book illuminate Scalia's interpretative approach to the law, known as textualism or originalism, but it also demonstrates Scalia's formidable contribution to virtually every major area of jurisprudence. Scalia weighed in on critical issues such as separation of powers, race, abortion, the death penalty, religious freedom, homosexuality, and free speech, inter alia. Here the inimitable Scalia speaks for himself in his distinctively clever way. Even readers who disagree with the justice's conservative views can appreciate his stylistic rendering of them. VERDICT This compendium of classic Scalia offers an excellent counterpoint for readers of The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, edited by Scott Dodson.—Lynne Maxwell, West Virginia Univ. Coll. of Law Lib., Morgantown

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