Antonin Scalia

Details

Birth

March 11, 1936 · Trenton, New Jersey

Death

February 13, 2016

Law school

harvard university

Prior experience

U.s. court of appeals judge

Biography

Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1986 until his death in 2016. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, to Italian immigrant parents, Scalia graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University in 1957 and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1960, where he served as editor of the Harvard Law Review. After practicing law at Jones, Day, Cockley and Reavis, he entered academia, teaching at the University of Virginia Law School and later the University of Chicago Law School. Scalia served in various roles in the Nixon and Ford administrations, including Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1974 to 1977. President Ronald Reagan appointed Scalia to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 1982 and elevated him to the Supreme Court in 1986, where he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Scalia became a leading proponent of originalism, the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted according to its original public meaning at the time of ratification, and textualism in statutory interpretation. His most influential majority opinions included District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which established an individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, and Crawford v. Washington (2004), which strengthened the Confrontation Clause. Known for his sharp wit, colorful writing style, and vigorous dissents, Scalia profoundly influenced conservative legal thought and constitutional interpretation. His judicial philosophy continues to shape legal discourse and Supreme Court jurisprudence through his former law clerks and intellectual disciples, cementing his legacy as one of the most consequential justices of the modern era.

Notable opinions

• District of Columbia v. Heller
• Bush v. Gore
• United States v. Morrison