At a book signing in Washington, DC, last week Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called overruling Roe v. Wade, criminalizing homosexual sex, and ruling the death penalty constitutional all “absolutely easy” cases.
While speaking at the signing at the American Enterprise Institute, Scalia said: “The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.”
Abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and the death penalty are all hot button issues, but it is particularly notable that the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision about whether or not to take up a case addressing the issue of marriage equality in the term that began last week. They are not expected to make the decision until after the presidential election in November.
Last week, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown (R) named Scalia as his model Supreme Court judge in a debate against challenger Elizabeth Warren (D) and was promptly booed by the debate crowd. Warren’s campaign manager Mindy Myers sounded off on Brown’s pick after the debate: “Scalia: the same judge who said he was ‘adamantly opposed’ to Roe v. Wade. Who opposes equal protection for women. Who even opposes the right to contraception. Yes, that Antonin Scalia. This wasn’t a trivial question like ‘who’s your favorite superhero.’ It matters. As a United States Senator, Scott Brown gets a vote to confirm our Supreme Court Justices. He gets a say as to whether the Democrats or Republicans control the Senate Judiciary Committee. If the Supreme Court was filled with a majority of Antonin Scalias, our country could move in a terrifying direction for all of us.”
Media Resources: Think Progress 10/5/12; Washington Post 10/5/12; Huffington Post 10/1/12; ElizabethWarren.com 10/2/12
