Quotes of the Morning: Sicilian Justice Supreme

“State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are likewise sustainable only in light of Bowers’ validation of laws based on moral choices. Every single one of these laws is called into question by today’s decision; the Court makes no effort to cabin the scope of its decision to exclude them from its holding.”
-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Lawrence v. Texas, 2003

“We have no place in this country for prostitution, bestiality, incest, bigamy, masturba……. Huh? That’s illegal? Holy *%^! We really need to start putting police cameras in bedrooms. We can’t let this scourge continue! This is, of course, coming from Judge Scalia, a man known for his tact and decorum.”
-Skippy

“During an unpublicized March 8 talk at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, Scalia dismissed the idea that the detainees have rights under the U.S. Constitution or international conventions, adding he was ‘astounded’ at the ‘hypocritical’ reaction in Europe to Gitmo. ‘War is war, and it has never been the case that when you captured a combatant you have to give them a jury trial in your civil courts,’ he says on a tape of the talk reviewed by NEWSWEEK. ‘Give me a break.’ Challenged by one audience member about whether the Gitmo detainees don't have protections under the Geneva or human-rights conventions, Scalia shot back: ‘If he was captured by my army on a battlefield, that is where he belongs. I had a son on that battlefield and they were shooting at my son and I'm not about to give this man who was captured in a war a full jury trial. I mean it's crazy.’"
-Newsweek, April 3, 2006 Issue

“Um, sir? If I recall properly this is regarding a case that you currently have in front of you on the Supreme Court.. Isn’t it a little improper to declare that your mind is made up before you even listen to arguments? Especially when facts like this are brought to light regarding the people in Gitmo…”
-Skippy

“Out of the 132 men, 75 are not even accused of acts against the United States. Most, when captured, were innocent of any terrorist activity, were Taliban foot soldiers at worst, and were often far less than that... And much of the evidence -- even the classified evidence -- gathered by the Defense Department against these men is flimsy, second-, third-, fourth- or 12th-hand. It's based largely on admissions by the detainees themselves or on coerced, or worse, interrogations of their fellow inmates, some of whom have been proved to be liars.”
-National Journal, February 3, 2006

“This of course is not the first time that Justice Scalia has made unfortunate choices regarding cases before him.”
-Skippy

“Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a combative conservative known for his tough talk on and off the bench, isn't backing down in the face of criticism that he should stay out of a case involving his friend and hunting partner, Vice President Dick Cheney.
The two men went on a duck hunting trip last month, three weeks after the court agreed to hear a White House appeal in a case involving private meetings of the vice president's energy task force. Critics said the trip raised questions about Scalia's impartiality in the case.”
-Washington Post, February 11, 2004

“A hunting buddy of Dick Cheney. He’s lucky to have lived this long.. Justice Scalia always has a ready answer for his critics though..”
-Skippy

“Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia startled reporters in Boston just minutes after attending a mass, by making a hand gesture some consider obscene.
A Boston Herald reporter asked the 70-year-old conservative Roman Catholic if he faces much questioning over impartiality when it comes to issues separating church and state.
‘You know what I say to those people?’ Scalia replied, making the gesture and explaining ‘That's Sicilian.’
The 20-year veteran of the high court was caught making the gesture by a photographer with The Pilot, the Archdiocese of Boston's newspaper.
‘Don't publish that,’ Scalia told the photographer, the Herald said.”
UPI, March 27, 2006

“And I guess that answers the question of ‘Who would Jesus flip off? Justice Scalia says that the gesture was misinterpreted, and that he was really making a different gesture that means that he was being thoughtful. The photographer disagrees.”
-Skippy

“Despite Scalia’s insistence that the Sicilian gesture was not offensive and had been incorrectly characterized by the Herald as obscene, the photographer said the newspaper ‘got the story right.’
Smith said the jurist ‘immediately knew he’d made a mistake, and said, ‘You’re not going to print that, are you?’ ‘
Scalia’s office yesterday referred questions regarding the flap to Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg, who said a letter Scalia sent Tuesday to the Herald defending his gesture at the cathedral ‘speaks for itself.’
[...]
‘The judge paused for a second, then looked directly into my lens and said, ‘To my critics, I say, ‘Vaffanculo.’’ punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin, Smith said.
The Italian phrase means ‘(expletive) you.’”
-Boston Herald, March 30, 2006