Introduction:
Scalia is recognized for his legal conservatism
and was the first Supreme Court justice of the U.S. (SCOTUS) from the Italian
ancestry. He has been associated of the SCOTUS from 1986 to 2016 (Cornell
University Law School [CULS), n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d). He will be discussed because
he is considered as one of the prominent conservative thinkers in spite of his
reputation of combative dissents and Italian ancestry. This biography will
detail the personal life of Justice Antonin Scalia and the achievements he made
in his legal profession.
Early Life and Family:
Scalia
family used to live in Trenton, NJ, where he was born on March 11, 1936 (CULS,
n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d). He was the only child to Salvadore Eugene who was an
immigrant from Italy and Catherine P. Scalia, his mother who was
Italian-American. Eugene was a romance language tutor in Brooklyn College,
while Scalia’s mother was an elementary teacher. Scalia’s father moved to New
York (NY) where Scalia studied in a Catholic-run school, something, which people
say influenced his decision in abortion stand. He married Maureen McCarthy on
September 10, 1960, with whom they had nine children (CULS, n.d.; SCOTUS,
n.d.). In spite of Scalia being a son of an Italian immigrant, his star shone
brighter and exhibited excellence in his work.
Early education:
Before joining grade school,
Scalia’s family moved to NY. Scalia studied in a public elementary school in
Queens, NY. As a high performing student, he joined a military school run by
Roman Catholic, Xavier High School in Manhattan. Soon after that, he enrolled
for university.
College, University, Post Graduate:
After
Scalia’s high school education, he joined Georgetown University and attained a
bachelor’s in history top of his class (CULS, n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d.). Then, he
continued his studies at Harvard Law School and managed to attain magna cum
laude. Further, in Harvard, he focused on being a note editor and traveled to
Europe as a Sheldon Fellow.
Legal Profession:
After
graduating from Harvard, he privately practiced in Cleveland and joined was
Ohio and Virginia Bars (CULS, n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d.). He tutored law at the
University of Virginia (1967-1974), Georgetown (1977), Chicago (1977 to 1982),
and Stanford (1980-1981). Further, Scalia was appointed as a General Counsel
from 1971 to 1972 for the “Office of Telecommunications Policy” (SCOTUS, n.d.,
para. 1). Furthermore, from 1974 to 1977, he assumed the role of “Assistant
Attorney General, the Office of Legal Counsel” (SCOTUS, n.d., para. 1). In
1982, he was confirmed as the Court of Appeal judge in DC. Later, in 1986, he
was appointed as an associate of SCOTUS by President Reagan until 2016.
Federal Court Experience:
Scalia
was selected as a judge of the Court of Appeal in DC where he made a name for
himself (CULS, n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d.). Using his witty writing, he built a
conservative record. As a result, he attracted the attention of President
Reagan, a Republican who nominated him and was later confirmed as an associate
of SCOTUS.
Supreme Court:
Due to his juridical prowess and conservative
nature, Scalia appointed to work as an associate of SCOTUS in 1986 by President
Reagan (CULS, n.d.; SCOTUS, n.d.). Scalia received little political attention
and unanimously confirmed as an associate judge (National Constitution Center,
2017). He felt that the Constitution should be interpreted according to its
framers. He voted to support free speech in the case that involved the burning
of the Texas flag. Moreover, he rejected the notion of abortion and voted
against gay marriages in 2015. Further, he felt that the role of making laws
should be left to the legislature.
Scalia
was more of a conservative and felt that the law should be construed in the
lens of its framers. As a consequence, he was not a partisan Judge and in most
cases, he wrote dissenting opinions. Scalia was also an editor of Regulation
Magazine and a member of the visitor board Brigham Young University.
References
Cornell University Law School (CULS).
(n.d.). LII: US Supreme Court: Justice Scalia. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/scalia.bio.html
National Constitution Center. (2017,
February 6). Ronald Reagan’s big impact on the Supreme Court. Retrieved from
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/ronald-reagans-big-impact-on-the-supreme-court
Supreme Court of the United States
(SCOTUS). (n.d.). Biography of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. Retrieved from
https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographyScalia.aspx
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