[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, last week our Nation lost an incredible man 
and jurist: Justice Antonin Scalia.
  As a steadfast defender of the rule of law, Scalia was a pillar of 
the Supreme Court for nearly 30 years. He was a man of God and a 
champion of religious freedom.
  In a recent speech, Justice Scalia reflected on the role of faith in 
society. While discussing his time in Rome in the aftermath of the 9/11 
attacks, he recalled watching President Bush ask God to bless our 
Nation and a later conversation he had with a jurist from a different 
country who expressed his own desire for his nation's leader to be able 
to publicly evoke God's name during a time of national crisis, as it 
was forbidden.
  This moving speech serves as a reminder of the importance of fighting 
for our basic liberties that we hold so dearly. Justice Scalia, who 
consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of what our Founding 
Fathers intended, was a fierce and loyal leader in this fight.
  It was through his strong adherence to our Constitution, his sharp 
analytical mind, and his unwillingness to compromise his principles 
that made him a brilliant jurist; though it was his unreserved vitality 
and unwavering love for his country that made him a widely admired and 
beloved friend to his supporters and adversaries alike.
  I had a chance to meet Justice Scalia a couple of different times and 
hear him and even talk with him and ask him questions. Indeed, I was 
blessed by that.
  I rise today to extend my deepest sympathies to his family. He will 
certainly be missed by our Nation.

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