Supreme Court Justice Profile: Antonin Scalia
Previously in the series, we focused on Justice Samuel Alito, who’s lived a fascinating life up to being elected as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. To continue, we’ll now move on and set our eyes on a teammate of his, namely Justice Antonin Scalia.
As a child of Sicilian immigrants, he’s considered the first Italian-American to be elected into the position as Associate Justice.
Here are some facts on Justice Antonin Scalia.
Antonin Scalia
Born: March 11, 1936
Profession: Lawyer, Judge
Alma Mater:
Georgetown University, 1957 (Summa Cum Laude)
University of Fribourg (Junior Year)
Harvard University Law School, 1960 (Magna Cum Laude)
History
Born in Trenton, New Jersey as the only child of Salvatore Scalia—a professor of Romance languages—and Catherine Panaro-Scalia, both Sicilian Immigrants, Antonin lived a rather modest life. When he was six years old, his family moved to Elmhurts, Queens in New York City.
There, he went to Xavier High School in Manhattan, where he also obtained a scholarship. While in school, he spent much of his time on academics. He was a prodigy as described by one of his teachers, considered the top student of his class.
He continued his high school education at Georgetown University in 1953, graduating as valedictorian. He went on to college at the same school, where he graduated summa cum laude upon graduation in 1957 with a degree in history. He decided to pursue law at Harvard Law School, which was where he met his wife, Maureen McCarthy.
He later graduated magna cum laude in 1960 and landed his first job at the Jones, Day, Cockley, and Reavis law firms in Cleveland, Ohio a year after. He then became a professor the University of Virginia Law School in 1967.
In 1967, he decided to enter public service when he served as General Counsel for the Office of Telecommunications policy. After the Watergate scandal in 1974, Scalia was appointed to the Office of Legal Council as Assistant Attorney General.
And then, in 1982, Scalia was chosen as the Court of Appeals Justice for the District of Columbia. Being critical of the Supreme Court, President Ronald Reagan recognized his prowess and later nominated him to the position of Associate Justice. He was confirmed and inducted to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 and has served his post ever since.
Some Works:
Concerning the influence of extra-legal jury.
About matters on abortion and contraceptive use.
On the issue of fraud and statutory criminal laws.
Sources:
Antonin Scalia Biography, Biography.com
The Supreme Court: Man In The News; Judge With Tenacity and Charm: Antonin Scalia, The New York Times
A Biography of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, About News