Antonin Scalia: The Intellectual Anchor of Originalism

In this episode of pplpod, we profile Antonin Scalia, the first Italian-American justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and a transformative figure in American law. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 following a unanimous Senate confirmation, Scalia served for three decades as the "intellectual anchor" of the Court's conservative wing. We examine his fervent advocacy for originalism and textualism, exploring his belief that the Constitution should be interpreted based on its fixed meaning at the time of ratification rather than as a living document.

We discuss his most influential rulings, including his majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller protecting individual gun rights, as well as his fiery dissents on issues ranging from the independent counsel law to same-sex marriage. Beyond his jurisprudence, we look at his combative yet witty personality, his aggressive questioning style during oral arguments, and his close, opera-loving friendship with liberal colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Join us as we trace his journey from a devout Catholic childhood in New Jersey to his death in 2016, which left a 4–4 split on the Court and sparked a major political battle over his succession.