I used to say that the Constitution is not a living document. It's dead, dead, dead. But I've gotten better. I no longer say that. The truth is that the Constitution is not one that morphs. It's an enduring Constitution,… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
The Constitution that I interpret and apply is not living, but dead, or as I prefer to call it, enduring. It means, today, not what current society, much less the court, thinks it ought to mean, but what it meant… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you'd like it to mean? — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. You think the death penalty is a good idea?… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
More importantly, the Court forgets that ours is a government of laws and not of men. That means we are governed by the terms… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
Wringing your hands about states' rights, forget it. They're gone. Basically, the federal government can do whatever it wants. Who's going to protect the… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
If you condemn someone who has committed a crime to be tortured, that would be unconstitutional. — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
Burning the flag is a form of expression. Speech doesn't just mean written words or oral words. It could be semaphore. And burning a… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction. — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
The court's job is to uphold the Constitution and you don't call that off in times of crisis. Would the framers have allowed this… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
We have laws against torture. The Constitution says nothing whatever about torture. It speaks of punishment; 'cruel and unusual' punishments are forbidden. — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ.… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
Many think it not only inevitable but entirely proper that liberty give way to security in times of national crisis--that, at the extremes of… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
That's the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to… — Antonin Scalia Copy Share Image
