Antonin Scalia, civil libertarian?

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:18:00 +0000

Last week, in Florida v. Jardines, the Supreme Court held that the Constitution requires police to get a warrant before they bring a drug dog to the front door of a house to sniff around.

To understand what the Supreme Court did in Jardines, it helps to start with the oral argument the Court held that same day in Hollingsworth v. Perry—the California gay marriage case—specifically, with an exchange between Justice Antonin Scalia (the author of Jardines) and attorney Ted Olson, who was arguing in support of the right of gay people to marry.

Justice Scalia: Ok, so I want to know how long it has been unconstitutional…

Go to church, or go to jail!

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:00:00 +0000

  A year ago, two buzzed Oklahoma teens lost control of their pickup truck, drove off the road and smashed into a tree, ejecting and killing the passenger. The driver, Tyler Alred, confessed to drinking earlier in the evening, and blew a 0.07 on the breathalyzer, above the legal limit for a minor. In August, Alred pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter, and was sentenced to four years to life, with parole. But a judge named Mike Norman changed Alred's sentence to 10 years deferred—meaning no jail time—provided he graduates from high school, passes regular drug and alcohol tests, performs community service … and goes to church every Sunday for a decade. If that seems constitutionally dicey—well, the Oklahoma ACLU and the US Supreme Court agree.

Salon.com > Constitutional Law

Antonin Scalia, civil libertarian?

Go to church, or go to jail!