Well, here I am.
Bout 1-
Scalia v. Strossen, 5 pm, Marriott Ballroom:
Conversation About Civil Liberties with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and ACLU President Nadine Strossen. Moderated by NBC News Correspondent Pete Williams
People are just amazed Scalia showed up. Will he drink with his nose? Will he eat a baby? No! He seems like a very reasonable 19th century American man. Nadine says the constitution evolves, and the audience watches Scalia closely to see if the word burns him. Scalia says he doesn't find the words "homosexuality" or "abortion" in the constitution, but somehow he does find "flag burning" and "infrared camera." I wonder if Scalia knows Williams is gay.
Strossen by decision.
Bell. Dinner.
Next step - getting John Paul Stevens to come to a Federalist Society meeting.
Posted by: Gib | October 16, 2006 at 08:17 AM
Would you settle for Ginsberg? She's former ACLU staff. If you're serious, then I can ask someone who can ask her.
Posted by: Mithras | October 16, 2006 at 09:01 AM
but somehow he does find "flag burning"
In one of those rare "Whoa" moments, Justice Scalia was in the majority on Texas v. Johnson, the latest SCOTUS case affirming that flag burning is protected expression, and Justice Stevens dissented (separately from the Rehnquist dissent, at least).
It's the fact that John Paul Stevens has become the most reliably liberal member of the Supreme Court that truly illustrates how far the center has been dragged rightward. If the Bush administration nominated Reanimated Undead Torquemada to replace Stevens, Senate Democrats would be afraid to oppose him because of perceived "anti-Catholic" bias.
Posted by: mds | October 16, 2006 at 10:49 AM