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The phony fuss over Scalia's lecture to members of Congress.

Politico writes: 

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will speak on Monday on the separation of powers at an event organized by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and her Tea Party Caucus.

Organized by... but every member of Congress has received an invitation to attend.

The lecture is going on despite the objections of some observers. The New York Times editorial board called for Scalia to cancel his commitment.

?By meeting behind closed doors, as is planned, and by presiding over a seminar, implying give and take, the justice would give the impression that he was joining the throng ? confirming his new moniker as the ?Justice from the Tea Party,?? the board wrote in December.

The Times said it would oppose a similar event featuring a liberal Supreme Court justice and targeted at Democratic members of Congress. ?The ideological nature of the group and the seminar would eclipse the justice?s independence and leave him looking rash and biased.?

Wouldn't it be ironic if that editorial left the NYT looking rash and biased? Some liberal members of Congress will attend the session. If anything fishy goes on, they'll let us know. I presume Justice Scalia will give the lecture he always gives about the proper role of courts in our constitutional system. I look forward to hearing about the supposedly outrageous statements that turn out to be entirely mundane within the set of things Scalia has been saying for decades.

What it all boils down to is: Liberals don't like it that Scalia is on the Supreme Court. They've never liked it. And the NYT is especially dedicated to making people think that his being on the Court is something untoward, some abuse of power. I'm sure there are some NYT readers who are titillated by that sensationalism, but I find it embarrassing.

Full post as published by Althouse on January 24, 2011 (boomark / email).