Posted on 10/15/2006 6:55:12 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Justice Antonin Scalia on Sunday defended some of his Supreme Court opinions, arguing that nothing in the Constitution supports abortion rights and the use of race in school admissions.
Scalia, a leading conservative voice on the high court, sparred in a one-hour televised debate with American Civil Liberties Union president Nadine Strossen. He said unelected judges have no place deciding politically charged questions when the Constitution is silent on those issues.
Arguing that liberal judges in the past improperly established new political rights such as abortion, Scalia warned, "Someday, you're going to get a very conservative Supreme Court and regret that approach."
"On controversial issues on stuff like homosexual rights, abortion, we debate with each other and persuade each other and vote on it either through representatives or a constitutional amendment," the Reagan appointee said.
"Whether it's good or bad is not my job. My job is simply to say if those things you find desirable are contained in the Constitution," he said.
Scalia's comments come as the Supreme Court this term will hear closely divided issues involving partial-birth abortion and school integration. They are expected to test the conservative impact of the court's two newest members, Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
Scalia, 70, has consistently voted to limit the use of race in school admissions and has called for the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a woman's right to abortion to be overruled. But his influence was often limited by moderate Sandra Day O'Connor, who cast deciding votes on those issues against him.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
This could be the ApocAlito!
This man is a patriot. This man has courage.
Godspeed.
Come think of it AD I don't think our American founding fathers knew what abortion was
So he has point
Scalia, arguing that nothing in the Constitution supports abortion rights and the use of race in school admissions.
Duh. I've read the U.S. Constitution many times and find the same thing as Scalia. Plus, I challenge the liberals/communists/democRATs to find the word "education," anywhere in the Constitution.
5.56mm
You know, nothing in the constitution mentions an airforce...
I had to play devils advocate. Scalia is right, of course, about abortion and affirmative action.
bttt
I only saw the last ten minutes but this man is a force to be reckoned with! The ACLU types all appauded wildly at the end. The Lefty Lady President that he sparred with with was quite polite and engaged.
As I said, I saw only the last ten minutes...even the crowd was respectful.. GO NINO!
I know Jefferson did. He noted that native americans that were having a hard time surviving practiced it.
That's not true. The Constitution validates the Declaration of Independence as a document of legislation. The Declaration expresses our inalienable Right to Life.
True, but in Art II section 1 It says the Pres must "protect and defend" the constituion.
I walked out on a speech by Strassen once... I'm proud to say. I wish now I had heckled her.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but they knew very well what it was. What they wouldn't have imagined would have been that someday a faction of people would convince the court that it was anything but an abomination. The Hippocratic Oath forbids doctors from performing abortion, but I don't even think they swear that oath any more.
Excellent point, and I say bring it! I am confident that a constitutional amendment providing for our national armed forces would be easily passed and ratified. Amendments to legalize abortion and to condone institutional racism (affirmative action) wouldn't have such an easy go of it.
Did the Supreme Court establish the Air Force? Or is your statement just a red herring?
Oh wait, you were referring to the "education" comment...never mind.
Huh?? The Constitution converts The Declaration of Independence into a legislative act??? A novel, no, bizzare concept.
We need to hear from Scalia on how the 14th Amendment bars "anchor babies", and how radical homosexual groups like the GSA and GSLED have no right to push perverted propaganda in our schools under the guise of "equal rights".
I'm sure they knew what abortion was. It's just that back then, it wasn't something you would talk about openly let alone something that a "lady" would demand the right for.
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