6 Videos of Antonin Scalia That Will Make Your Head Spin

Alexandra Rosenmann
,
AlterNet
and
Alexandra Rosenmann
February 15, 2016Belief

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the age of 79. Scalia, known for his conservatism, had some pretty outlandish views, given modern times. "I feel less comfortable when everybody agrees with me," Scalia once said in defense. "Words have meaning. And their meaning doesn't change." No argument there, Scalia. Watch below a few segments on the things he opposed most.  

1. The Internet

Scalia believed the Internet "coarsened American culture." You're really not going to like hearing what he thought of Facebook.

2. Cameras in the Supreme Court
C-SPAN has argued that allowing television cameras in the courtroom would be in the public's best interest. While several bipartisan members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), advocated to lift the ban against cameras in the courtroom for the recent healthcare case, Scalia did not. Scalia believed that seeing the process on live television would actually miseducate Americans, and that the courtroom back and forth wasn't really interesting anyway. "It certainly is gripping if you're answering the questions," Sen. Richard Blumenthal retorts.

3. Religious Neutrality

According to Scalia, God is good to the U.S. because Americans honor him. At a Louisiana high school earlier this year, Scalia said he does not believe the country’s constitutional traditions embrace religious neutrality. He told the audience at the Catholic school that there is “no place” in the country’s constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence.

4. Gay Rights

Scalia wasn't too happy about Supreme Court decisions protecting gay Americans. Though gay marriage had been legalized nationwide earlier that year, during an appearance at Georgetown Law School in late November, Scalia expressed concern over the high court choosing which minorities get certain protections, the New York Times reported. “What? It’s up to me to identify deserving minorities?" Scalia said. "What about pederasts? What about child abusers?"

5. Abortion

Scalia was "adamantly opposed" to abortion, as he told CNN's Piers Morgan in a conversation about Roe v. Wade in 2012. But like almost all of his arguments, the best part is watching him struggle to articulate why. It's almost as entertaining as when he appears totally confused upon finding out that the Constitution doesn't mention women's rights at all.

6. Affirmative Action 

Perhaps Scalia's most scandalous argument came about in an affirmative action case when he suggested a "slower track" for some African American students, outraging celebrities from Rashida Jones to Donald Trump. Yes, Scalia was too racist even for Trump:

(Bonus): Trump's reaction:

Report typos and corrections to: feedback@alternet.org.

Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.