Post by granyys on Dec 12, 2010 20:06:15 GMT -5
Hello All - I'm a newbie but wanted to start a thread and see if anyone bit. If there are some people who are interested in legal topics I'll probably start a thread every so often in this vein and see if it sparks any conversation.
My first topic isn't too serious -- amongst the current Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who is your favorite? I define the term "favorite" loosely - it can be the Justice with whom you usually find yourself in agreement, it can be the Justice that you find most entertaining, it can be the Justice that has the nicest hair. Whatever trips your trigger.
I guess I should start. My legal leanings tend towards the progressive/crazy lefty side of the spectrum (although not in everything - life is complicated, after all). Nonetheless, I find little to be that excited about in the crop of more "liberal" Justices currently on the Court. There is simply not enough information available on Kagan or Sotomayor - it usually takes a few years for a Justice to settle in, after all. Justice Ginsburg is milquetoast. Justice Breyer is infuriatingly professorial (not in a good way). I applaud Breyer for at least attempting to articulate a judicial philosophy to combat Originalism, but find myself rarely pleased by any of his legal opinions.
Perhaps surprisingly, then, given my philosophical leanings, I find my favorite Justice to be a man who is often a poster-Justice for the other side - the grand Originalist (usually) himself, Antonin Scalia.
What's not to love with Scalia? He's bombastic, articulate, willing to mix it up in legal opinions, willing to make ridiculous (and occasionally hilarious) jokes during oral argument, and hugely entertaining. If you have never had the chance to see him speak, head to C-Span.org and seek out one of the recorded programs with Scalia and Breyer discussing the role of the Court.
Perhaps most importantly, Scalia is a tremendously effective advocate for an Originalist approach to constitutional interpretation. While I don't agree with this approach (that's a story for another thread, perhaps), I treasure him because his focus and insight forces me to consider (and re-consider) my own positions. An effective opponent should be treasured - and I certainly treasure Scalia.
My first topic isn't too serious -- amongst the current Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who is your favorite? I define the term "favorite" loosely - it can be the Justice with whom you usually find yourself in agreement, it can be the Justice that you find most entertaining, it can be the Justice that has the nicest hair. Whatever trips your trigger.
I guess I should start. My legal leanings tend towards the progressive/crazy lefty side of the spectrum (although not in everything - life is complicated, after all). Nonetheless, I find little to be that excited about in the crop of more "liberal" Justices currently on the Court. There is simply not enough information available on Kagan or Sotomayor - it usually takes a few years for a Justice to settle in, after all. Justice Ginsburg is milquetoast. Justice Breyer is infuriatingly professorial (not in a good way). I applaud Breyer for at least attempting to articulate a judicial philosophy to combat Originalism, but find myself rarely pleased by any of his legal opinions.
Perhaps surprisingly, then, given my philosophical leanings, I find my favorite Justice to be a man who is often a poster-Justice for the other side - the grand Originalist (usually) himself, Antonin Scalia.
What's not to love with Scalia? He's bombastic, articulate, willing to mix it up in legal opinions, willing to make ridiculous (and occasionally hilarious) jokes during oral argument, and hugely entertaining. If you have never had the chance to see him speak, head to C-Span.org and seek out one of the recorded programs with Scalia and Breyer discussing the role of the Court.
Perhaps most importantly, Scalia is a tremendously effective advocate for an Originalist approach to constitutional interpretation. While I don't agree with this approach (that's a story for another thread, perhaps), I treasure him because his focus and insight forces me to consider (and re-consider) my own positions. An effective opponent should be treasured - and I certainly treasure Scalia.
