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Scalia a 'Caricature' of Himself

Paul Campos thinks it's time this 'ranting old man' retires

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 26, 2012 11:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – Antonin Scalia's ranting dissent to yesterday's Arizona immigration ruling was sort of sad, writes law professor Paul Campos at Salon. It was "written by a man who obviously no longer cares that he sounds increasingly like a right-wing talk radio host," and that his opinions are beginning to read "like hastily drafted blog posts." The justice, once a talented legal mind and observer of liberal hypocrisy, "has, in his old age, become an increasingly intolerant and intolerable blowhard," and a "caricature of his younger self."

"The Supreme Court continues to devolve into an institution dominated by cranky senior citizens, who are harder to get rid of than the longest-serving members of the old Soviet politburo." Even if you don't agree with Scalia's politics—and Campos doesn't—it's unpleasant to see him decline. As a baseball and literature fan, he should read Updike's piece on Ted Williams' retirement. "He knew how to do even that, the hardest thing," Updike wrote: "Quit." Read Campos' full column here.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia testifies during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia testifies during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year.   (Getty Images)
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia participates at the third annual Washington Ideas Forum, Oct. 6, 2011.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia participates at the third annual Washington Ideas Forum, Oct. 6, 2011.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
Iffida
Jun 28, 2012 9:33 AM CDT
This old guy has got his shorts in a wad so many time, it has effected his smiling face.  Ha Heeeeeeee
coolbreeze55
Jun 26, 2012 2:48 PM CDT
The cheese has fallen off this guy's cracker a few years ago.  Maybe his old buddy, Cheney did a Jedi mind trick on him back when they holed up at the hunting lodge. My conspiracy is that he and Alito are super pissed that Roberts and Kennedy are voting to preserve ACA with the mandate.  Either that, or these two got a bad meatball with their spaghetti.
GenericLeftist
Jun 26, 2012 12:12 PM CDT
Roberts was also skeptical that the individual mandate’s consequences could only be limited to health care, because health care is somehow constitutionally unique. “I think that would be a very significant intrusion by the Court into Congress’s power,” Roberts said. “It’s good for you in this case to say, ‘Oh, it’s just [limited to] insurance.’ But once we say that there is a market and Congress can require people to participate in it, as some would say—or as you would say, that people are already participating in it—it seems to me that we can’t say there are limitations on what Congress can do under its commerce power…all bets are off.” 
 

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