Back in 1997 Justice Scalia addressed Acton Institute’s 7th Anniversary Dinner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He titled his remarks “On Interpreting the Constitution”. He explained his originalist approach to Constitutional law, and the severe drawbacks that he saw with any alternative method of interpretation.
You can get the audio HERE.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
on ROME 24/4– Day 34 (-7): The burial place of… PLATO?!?: “My baptismal anniversary. I’m mostly Scottish/Irish Catholic, birthed and educated by the Mercy Sisters during the height of the Troubles.…”
on ROME 24/4– Day 35 (-6): adventures in symmetry: “Father, it was perfect symmetry for two people. One cup handle facing one way and the other the other way.”
on ROME 24/4– Day 35 (-6): adventures in symmetry: “From a reader: “What are in the frames between the vestments?” Those are the priest’s vesting prayers. I’ll show more…”
on WDTPRS: 4th Sunday of Easter (Novus Ordo) – Mighty humble Shepherd, humble mighty flock: “Fr Z you are an inspiration in your knowledge about and love for the things of God and the church.…” on ROME 24/4– Day 32 (-9): Happy Birthday Rome!: “Holy cow that pasta. I wish we had smell-o-vision and taste-o-vision.”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “The German grind continues. It is in their nature.”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Scary about the women. What I mean is this: it would be disheartening enough just to find out that a…” on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “I wonder what’s going on with these women. Don’t they know that the greatest example of womanhood is Our Blessed…”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Fr.Z sez: It is really sad that some people still push this rock up the hill. Reminds one of Sisyphus,…”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Alas, those men pushing for ordaining women. STILL trying to get women to do all the work. My mother warned…”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Dear Dcn PB, I don’t see how the reality can be described differently than by saying that the one sacrament…”
on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Most people, whether pro or con, misunderstand the history and practice of the female diaconate. The deaconess was a separate…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Easter (N.O. 4th of Easter) 2024: “I remember only the joke at the beginning of the homily: Priests get four weeks of vacation per year. Some…”
on “you must not remember your forefathers…” Wherein Fr. Z rants.: “My children at one of the solid Chesterton Academies have been taught science and theology by an amazing young Catholic…” on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “What is it that changed about the Catholic Herald? Interesting interview by George Farmer. (If only the faithful could be…”
Loading ...
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful. Zelle and Wise are better, but PayPal is convenient.
A monthly subscription donation means I have steady income I can plan on. I put you my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I often say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Loading ...If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
Loading ...
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Use my code for a discount
Visits tracked by Statcounter
since Sat., 25 Nov. 2006:
Acton Institute. (I do that on purpose.)
Thank you!
Thank you! It sounds very interesting!
I just encountered a recollection of Justice Scalia’s appearance speaking with Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution in late 2012 at the Federalist Society, in which Robert Kraychik writes, “Explaining the challenges to the doctrine of judicial restraint and good faith application of the law with its original intent, Scalia invoked The Lord Of The Rings for a fantasy analogy. Describing the alternative view of the Constitution as pliable document onto which one’s political views can be projected as ‘seductive,’ he recalled the temptation of the power of the One Ring.” (He has an except from this meeting at his YouTube account, but it does not include the Tolkien reference.)
Any possibility anyone can help out a troglodyte and post a link to a transcript? Please? And thank you!
I listened to this just to see whether I would recognise his voice as we had not spoken to each other since we were both teenagers! But I went on to find it fascinating. I was pleased to note that in his theory that the USA is ahead of most European countries in having an older written constitution he did not mention that we in the UK have none! Seriously though the point he made at the end of his talk was very apposite: namely that Judges should be appointed because they are good lawyers but in fact with the triumph of non-originalists Judges in the USA are chosen for their political opinions. Here in the UK the manner in which Judges are chosen is wrapped in mystery and up to now have in theory at least been on their competence as lawyers. I fear that under the changes started with Tony Blair whereby we have a Ministry of Justice and a much more politicised Lord Chancellor we may follow the USA eventually.
Browsing around a bit, I take it this is the source of the excerpt and recollection to which I referred above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaoLMW5AF4Y
Meanwhile, speaking of Tolkien:
http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/02/16/two-lost-tolkien-poems-found-at-school-in-abingdon/