Scalia Speaks

October 15, 2017

This fine representative assemblage of Supreme Court Justice Scalia's speeches pays tribute to his ready wit and facility with language. Assembled by Scalia's son Christopher, writer and erstwhile English professor, and his former law clerk Whelan (president, Ethics and Public Policy Ctr.), these selections from Scalia's voluminous addresses provide an excellent exploration of the late justice's favorite topics. Indeed, the book's subtitle captures its spirit, promising and delivering such reflections. Fans and opponents alike will benefit by immersing themselves in Scalia's entertaining, albeit at times infuriating, pronouncements. Divided into six comprehensive sections: "On the American People and Ethnicity," "On Living and Learning," "On Faith," "On Law," "On Virtue and the Public Good," and "On Heroes and Friends," and with a foreword by Scalia's dear friend and jurisprudential nemesis Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this volume truly captures the man and his wide-ranging thought. Particularly recommended for interested law readers are the speeches "The Idea of the Constitution," "Original Meaning," "Interpreting the Constitution," and "Dissents." VERDICT Indispensable for Scalia aficionados, fans of Scalia's Court: A Legacy of Landmark Opinions and Dissents, edited by Kevin A. Ring, and anyone fascinated by this legendary jurist.--Lynne Maxwell, West Virginia Univ. Coll. of Law Lib., Morgantown

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.