NCSU Scholars grateful for time with fun-loving, principled Scalia
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article60935107.html
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was known for his indelible wit and intellect, his strict interpretation of the Constitution and his view on the role of judges in a democratic society.
He was also a kindly host to students, with a little-known but special connection to N.C. State University.
In 2003, at the prompting of his then-law clerk, John O’Quinn, the justice met with a group of NCSU’s Park Scholars. O’Quinn, a Harvard law graduate and former student body president at N.C. State, was one of four Scalia clerks at the high court. He persuaded his boss to give a brief talk to the students.
It would become a regular event, when each class of Park Scholars made an annual trek to Washington. They would tour the Supreme Court and meet in a conference room with Scalia, who answered their questions. Then he’d pose for a photograph with the class in a small courtyard.
There were only a few years when Scalia wasn’t available, so he’d ask his clerks, and once, Justice Clarence Thomas, to stand in.
“It was all very exciting,” said Amanda Sautner, 20, an NCSU junior from Warrington, Pa., who was part of the group in 2014. “He came in, and I remember he really commanded a presence. He was very sure of himself and had very strong opinions.”
The discussion centered on the Constitution and whether it was a living document – an idea Scalia rejected. Since his death Saturday, Park Scholars past and present are realizing what an opportunity they had.
“It was just a very special moment,” Sautner said, “and I’m glad that I could have that before he passed away.”
O’Quinn, who grew up in Fuquay-Varina, is remembering, too. Devastated to learn that his mentor was gone so suddenly, O’Quinn has thought about his year clerking at the Supreme Court, an experience he describes as “awe-inspiring.”
Now a partner in a Washington law firm, O’Quinn, 41, remembers the vigorous debates, the mountains of work and the back-and-forth with Scalia. He and three other clerks served one full term, summarizing some of the 8,000 petitions that come to the court and preparing briefs prior to oral arguments for the cases the court takes up. After the arguments, clerks helped with early drafts of opinions.
In the 2002-03 term, Scalia authored a fair number of dissenting opinions.
“Every memorable Scalia line you’ve ever read was entirely Justice Scalia,” O’Quinn said. “Law clerks would occasionally try to imitate, but none came close. He was genuine through and through in that regard. ... He had an incomparable rhetorical flair.”
(More at above url)
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article60935107.html
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was known for his indelible wit and intellect, his strict interpretation of the Constitution and his view on the role of judges in a democratic society.
He was also a kindly host to students, with a little-known but special connection to N.C. State University.
In 2003, at the prompting of his then-law clerk, John O’Quinn, the justice met with a group of NCSU’s Park Scholars. O’Quinn, a Harvard law graduate and former student body president at N.C. State, was one of four Scalia clerks at the high court. He persuaded his boss to give a brief talk to the students.
It would become a regular event, when each class of Park Scholars made an annual trek to Washington. They would tour the Supreme Court and meet in a conference room with Scalia, who answered their questions. Then he’d pose for a photograph with the class in a small courtyard.
There were only a few years when Scalia wasn’t available, so he’d ask his clerks, and once, Justice Clarence Thomas, to stand in.
“It was all very exciting,” said Amanda Sautner, 20, an NCSU junior from Warrington, Pa., who was part of the group in 2014. “He came in, and I remember he really commanded a presence. He was very sure of himself and had very strong opinions.”
The discussion centered on the Constitution and whether it was a living document – an idea Scalia rejected. Since his death Saturday, Park Scholars past and present are realizing what an opportunity they had.
“It was just a very special moment,” Sautner said, “and I’m glad that I could have that before he passed away.”
O’Quinn, who grew up in Fuquay-Varina, is remembering, too. Devastated to learn that his mentor was gone so suddenly, O’Quinn has thought about his year clerking at the Supreme Court, an experience he describes as “awe-inspiring.”
Now a partner in a Washington law firm, O’Quinn, 41, remembers the vigorous debates, the mountains of work and the back-and-forth with Scalia. He and three other clerks served one full term, summarizing some of the 8,000 petitions that come to the court and preparing briefs prior to oral arguments for the cases the court takes up. After the arguments, clerks helped with early drafts of opinions.
In the 2002-03 term, Scalia authored a fair number of dissenting opinions.
“Every memorable Scalia line you’ve ever read was entirely Justice Scalia,” O’Quinn said. “Law clerks would occasionally try to imitate, but none came close. He was genuine through and through in that regard. ... He had an incomparable rhetorical flair.”
(More at above url)
