The only way to eliminate any government choice on what art is worthwhile, what art isn't worthwhile, is to get the government totally out of the business of funding.
Antonin ScaliaRead
The Constitution that I interpret and apply is not living, but dead, or as I prefer to call it, enduring. It means, today, not what current society, much less the court, thinks it ought to mean, but what it meant when it was adopted.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Constitution should be interpreted based on its original meaning rather than contemporary views.
Antonin Scalia emphasizes the principle of originalism in constitutional interpretation, arguing that the Constitution has a fixed meaning that should be derived from the understanding of its framers at the time of its adoption. He believes that adapting its meaning to fit modern societal values undermines its integrity as a legal document.
Themes
ConstitutionOriginalismInterpretationLawMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a legal education seminar about constitutional law.
More from Antonin Scalia
All quotes →If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.
Antonin ScaliaRead
To allow the policy question of same-sex marriage to be considered and resolved by a select, patrician, highly unrepresentative panel of nine is to violate a principle even more fundamental than no taxation without representation: no social transformation without representation.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best. Individuals on both sides of the issue passionately, but respectfully, attempted to persuade their fellow citizens to accept their views.
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Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction.
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If you're going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you're not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, you're probably doing something wrong.
Antonin ScaliaRead
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