U.S. marshals aren't paid to serve as Scalia's censors

Washington Post: Antonin Scalia's out-of-court behavior has landed the justice in hot water several times lately, most recently over an incident in which a deputy U.S. marshal assigned to protect him forced two reporters to erase tapes of a speech Mr. Scalia was giving in Hattiesburg, Miss. This time, though, Mr. Scalia does not appear to have been at fault, and he has handled its aftermath just right.
Mr. Scalia has, wrongly in our view, long forbade taping or broadcast of his speeches. Deputy U.S. Marshal Melanie Rube appears to have thought she was simply enforcing his policy when she approached the reporters and demanded their recordings. But in a letter in response to an inquiry from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Mr. Scalia described the group's concerns over the matter as "well justified" and clarified that "the action was not taken at my direction."
Justice's reaction
In fact, he wrote, "I was as upset as you were," and had written to the reporters to apologize. He also said he was amending his policy so that print reporters would be able to record his speeches. And while he does not direct the security personnel who protect him, he noted, he will ask that they not confiscate any more recordings.
We continue to think Mr. Scalia's barring of television cameras from his speeches is unfortunate -- a rule that needlessly keeps the thoughts of one of the court's more interesting minds from the American people. But Mr. Scalia deserves credit for taking the issue seriously and responding with none of the bluster and bombast he showed during the flap over his duck hunting trip with Vice President Cheney.
His response throws the matter to the U.S. Marshals Service, which must now explain the behavior of the deputy in question as well as its own policies. It should give clear guidance to its officers that such intimidating tactics aren't part of their job.