The story is told of the elderly judge who, looking back over a long career, observes with satisfaction that, when I was young, I probably let stand some convictions that should have been overturned, and when I was old I probably set aside some that should have stood; so overall, justice was done. I sometimes think that is an appropriate analogy to this Court's constitutional jurisprudence, which alternately creates rights that the Constitution does not contain and denies rights that it does. Compare Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) (right to abortion does exist) with Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 836 (1990) (right to be confronted with witnesses, U.S. Const., Amdt. 6, does not).


County of Riverside v. McLaughlin, 500 U.S. 44 (1991) (dissenting)

Antonin Scalia Quotes

The story is told of the elderly judge who, looking back over a long career, observes with satisfaction that, when I was young, I probably let stand...

The story is told of the elderly judge who, looking back over a long career, observes with satisfaction that, when I was young, I probably let stand...

The story is told of the elderly judge who, looking back over a long career, observes with satisfaction that, when I was young, I probably let stand...

The story is told of the elderly judge who, looking back over a long career, observes with satisfaction that, when I was young, I probably let stand...