Antonin Scalia's Quotes

What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you'd like it to mean?

In a big family the first child is kind of like the first pancake. If it's not perfect, that's okay, there are a lot more coming along.

There is nothing new in the realization that the Constitution sometimes insulates the criminality of a few in order to protect the privacy of us all.

If we're picking people to draw out of their own conscience and experience a 'new' Constitution, we should not look principally for good lawyers. We should look to people who agree with us. When we are in that mode, you realize we have rendered the Constitution useless.

Why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine lawyers?

If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. You think the death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it. You want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. That's flexibility.

A journalistic purpose could be someone with a Xerox machine in a basement.

A law can be both economic folly and constitutional.

A search is a search, even if it happens to disclose nothing but the bottom of a turntable.

Why can't the state accede to the public's wishes?

You could have 50 different states having 50 different regulations... until they were all litigated out.

The Court today completes the process of converting Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from a guarantee that race or sex will not be the basis for often will.