Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
An eager crowd of 400–mostly students– packed UC Hasting’s largest auditorium last September to attend a 90-minute interview with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, conducted by UC Hastings College of Law Professor Calvin R. Massey. The special was part of the “Legally Speaking” series presented by UC Hastings and California Lawyer, and it made big news when Justice Scalia stated during the interview that the U.S. Constitution does not ban discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Don’t miss your chance to see this rare, in-depth conversation when it premieres March 23 at 8pm (ET/PT) on UCTV (or watch it online).
We’ve asked Professor Massey to share his experience interviewing Justice Scalia:
Calvin R. Massey, UC Hastings Professor of Law who interviewed Justice Scalia for "Legally Speaking"
“Justice Scalia is a delightful person. He is warm, witty, and completely comfortable with himself. There is nothing artificial or pretentious about him. That made interviewing him very pleasant.
Sometimes people who hold important offices forget that the office and their person are separate. As Harry Truman once said of being President: ‘I tried never to forget who I was, where I came from, and where I was going to return.’ I think Justice Scalia keeps Justice Scalia the Justice separate from Antonin Scalia the person.
The audience was mostly Hastings students and faculty, with some judges, alumni, and friends of Hastings also in attendance. They were attentive, interested, and appropriately polite. Everybody wanted to hear what the Justice had to say. So did I, and my questions were designed to allow him room to talk. I hope some of that feeling in the room is apparent in the video recording.”
The “Legally Speaking” series continues March 30 at 8pm (ET/PT) with writer and attorney Scott Turow, then April 20 at 9:30pm with constitutional lawyer and Yale University Professor Bruce Ackerman. The series returns in the Fall with a highly anticipated appearance by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.