Posted on 01/12/2011 10:56:37 AM PST by markomalley
Justice Antonin Scalia has accepted a speaking invitation from a Tea Party leader, drawing fire from some law professors and a liberal group.
Scalia will speak to incoming House members about the Constitution at the behest of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who founded the House’s Tea Party Caucus, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Jan. 24 topic will be separation of powers.
The meeting was described as bipartisan and open to all members of Congress. But several law professors who spoke to the newspaper criticized Scalia, saying the meeting appeared to politicize the court.
One of the critics was George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. He told the Times that Scalia is showing "exceedingly poor judgment." Nan Aron, the president of the liberal Alliance for Justice, also criticized Scalia in a news release. “Justice Scalia should protect the integrity of the court and cancel his appearance at this blatantly partisan, right-wing event,” she said.
M. Edward Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a former clerk to Scalia, supported his mentor. "My guess is that, schedule permitting, Scalia would be happy to speak on the same topic to any similar group of members of Congress who invited him,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
(Excerpt) Read more at abajournal.com ...
I remember hearing about this a few months ago on one of the talk radio programs, can’t remember which one. If I recall it correctly, Michele was starting a class on the Constitution for any members of Congress who cared to attend. The class wasn’t specifically for the Tea Party Caucus, or even just for the incoming freshmen, but all Congressmen. She had invited both Scalia and Clarence Thomas, among others, as speakers. I’m pretty sure I heard that both Scalia and Thomas had accepted her invitation.
But, doncha know, it’s only Republicans who have this sick fetish for the Constitution.
Oh, that’s too bad. I suppose that could happen to Ash: if a police officer turned up at our house, she would rush out to try to get in his car.
I would LOVE to attend that lecture.
I almost wish this would be live streamed but it may be more important the newbies have a free hand to ask any question they want.
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