For a Supreme Court justice anyway. Click here for audio.
- A “view” from the Courtroom: “I’m Scalia” and other quips.
Justice Antonin Scalia was known for his sharp-elbowed writing, which is preserved for posterity in his opinions. But his many memorable quips from the bench, usually during oral argument, are also an important part of his legacy.
Justice Scalia regularly topped the scholarly and quasi-scholarly lists of “funniest justice.” As Adam Liptak observed in The New York Times in writing about one of the first such studies, in 2005: “What passes for humor at the Supreme Court would probably not kill at the local comedy club.”
Nevertheless, Justice Scalia could crack up a room of his eight colleagues, dozens of lawyers, and scores of tourists and other spectators. Oral arguments will not be the same without him.
Thanks to recordings preserved (for now) on the Oyez website, we can listen to the late Justice’s quips the way they should be heard: in his own voice.
