Let Scalia speak

Let Scalia speak

Los Angeles Times: Not all opinions by Supreme Court justices are delivered from the bench. Justices who have distinctive views of the Constitution also expound them in public settings and in print.

Given that, it seems priggish to object to a justice sharing his views with members of Congress rather than law students or members of a bar association. Yet Justice Antonin Scalia is being criticized for accepting an invitation from Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., to speak on Jan. 24 to any member of Congress who wants to show up. We find it hard to share the outrage.

We disagree with many of Scalia’s views. Still, he is a learned and provocative legal thinker. If Congress is going to conduct an adult education course on the Supreme Court, his views belong in the curriculum. But so do those of his liberal colleagues.

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