Scalia's Court: A Legacy of Landmark Opinions and Dissents
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.
Reviews (70)
Review of the hardcover formatting
This is a review of the text layout of the hardcover version. It is a shame that so much thought went into the content of this book and so little into the format. The font size and spacing is fine. But why in the world, on one-third of the pages, are sentences pulled out and highlighted in a box, as in newspaper articles? It's distracting to the reader -- and even demeaning to the reader, as if the publishers thought that we can't face a page of plain text -- or select our own favorite passages. Another complaint, an unfathomable practice by the publisher, is to place the titles, even the numbered beginnings, of new sections at the very bottom of the page! These, added to the very poor paper quality, are examples of the deterioration of standards in the production of physical books.
or who may simply want to enjoy the verbiage
This book is for anyone who has an interest in the United States Constitution, the role of the Supreme Court in the affairs of state, the personalities of those who sit in ultimate judgement within the context of our government, or who may simply want to enjoy the verbiage, mental processes, remarkable wit, and insights of one of our most important contemporary jurists......a man who shaped nearly single-handedly the manner the Constitution is to be viewed and interpreted in today's world . Justice Scalia's impact is recognizable across the Nation's federal judiciary. I view this as an important book and, as such, will send each of my adult grandchildren a copy to enjoy.
Insight into the process
1 He believes there are issues best left to elected officials that bear clear responsibility and that can be voted out. The President and legislature exist for a reason. Stop creeping into their domains. Force/let them to do their own work. 2 Sometimes the court just makes stuff up, and he calls them on it in his dissents 3 He believes that legislative action can beneficially feel the people’s way through new issues, whereas Supreme Court rulings may be too rigid or lack evolutionary investigative nuance More could be said. Sing in the choir, or know your enemy, either is a good reason to read. It is readable, and you’ll encounter zingers in his opinions that you might not have expected in “dry” court documents.
Tremendous Overview of USA Supreme Court's Role (based upon one's perspective)
My perspective reinforces Scalia's approach to USA Constitution interpretation -- a) addressed within the Constitution, b) historical basis, and c) established public support noting distinction between States and States vs. Federal reach. Opinions per cases presented illustrate Scalia's perspective as opposed to "magical" interpretations that either a) Congress, b) Executive, and/or c) the States should address as opposed to the USA Supreme Court. Said renderings of the Supreme Court become "law" across the USA. Given the length of time between possible similar cases, these "rulings" can and do make questionable the role of the USA Supreme Court.
... not think that reading court opinions would be much fun, and for many of the esoteric cases the ...
One might not think that reading court opinions would be much fun, and for many of the esoteric cases the Supreme Court deals with it probably isn't, but this collection of opinions and dissents by the late Justice Scalia was entertaining and informative. Justice Scalia could really write! As a side benefit it got me back to rereading our Constitution and many parts of the Federalists Papers. It also, believe it or not, had me downloading and reading the complete cases; opinions, concurring opinions and dissents, of many of the cases covered in this fine book. Rhys Williams
Definitely makes you think
I've always admired Justice Scalia but to tell the truth never really knew much about him other than his more famous opinions and dissents. After reading this book I feel as if I know him even better. Some of the opinions in this book are lesser known but definitely made me think about what I believe. In fact it even changed my opinion on a few things. His mastery of the English language and knowledge of history is astounding. I'm not a lawyer or legal scholar by any means so sometimes the book was challenging. However it definitely makes me want to learn more. I recommend to all who want to know what the Constitution truly means.
Scalia is the last of the great minds.
I miss my hero/
Amazing clarity of
Scalia demonstrates an amazing clarity of insight when he analyzed problems. Is beneficial to study his thought process even if you're not a legal person and are in non-legal fields. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Scalia Brought to Life
This book brought me back to my law school days and my initial fascination with Judge Scalia's opinions. Always well thought out and often humorously written, he was a Jurist for the ages. Whether you are a proponent of his beliefs or not, you must respect his no holds bar approach in his decisions. He never minced words and always fell back to the text of the Constitution. A must read for anyone even remotely interested in SCOTUS.
The premier Scalia primer!
Whether you love or hate Justice Scalia, Scalia's Court is a must read. In fact, before coming to a conclusion about how one feels about Scalia's jurisprudence one should read this book. Mr. Ring begins with a clear explanation of Justice Scalia's philosophy and compares it to other approaches (and non-spproaches). He has selected entertaining and informative Scalia opinions and edited them brilliantly, while providing just enough commentary on the background and facts so that even non-lawyers can enjoy. Scalia fans and even those who abhor him will benefit from digging into some of the wittiest, most thoughtful and prescient of his writings.
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