Justice Scalia: A Great Man Has Fallen

Justice Scalia: A Great Man Has Fallen February 13, 2016

 Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us. The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning. Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies:  Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions:

1200px-Scalia_toplak_harvard_optA great man has fallen: Justice Antonin Scalia has gone to glory.

His death is not tragic. He lived well and died at a good age as a vigorous man still contributing to the causes of liberty. His death is sad for the nation because he was a brilliant defender of religious liberty, human life, virtue, and the Constitution. As the old hymn said: We will meet, but we will miss him and his place, I fear, no one can fill.

He will be remembered for his dissents and his wit. Reading Scalia was a lesson in English vocabulary, but also in rhetoric and in law. Justice Scalia took a minority idea in the legal elite, conservative jurisprudence, and made it respectable. His former clerks hold positions of authority all over the nation. Like his good friend on the left, Justice Ginsburg, one could disagree with Scalia, but never ignore him.

Justice Ginsburg did not agree with him on many issues, but recognized his genius. Their friendship is too rare in these brutally partisan times. I celebrate their civility and pray the next justice will have his convictions with his gentlemanly ways.

We mourn his loss, but not without hope. Justice Scalia believed in the wisdom of the Founders, the Constitution, and the American people. He was not naïve, but believed over time we would make the right call. Let’s  grieve without fear and fight as he did for Constitutional liberty under God.  We can fight for his successor as he would have fought with grace, wit, tough mindedness, and hope.

Justice Scalia was a living link to Ronald Reagan: a judicial giant selected by a Presidential genius. Rest in peace, brave Justice Scalia, one of Reagan’s great gifts to us. May we find your heir as we look for his.

 


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