[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H839-H843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poliquin). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. 
Comstock) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority 
leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of 
this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, this Special Order is meant to honor the 
life and three decades of service of Associate Justice of the United 
States Supreme Court Antonin Scalia.
  Justice Scalia was a person of great joy, great intellect, great wit, 
and great faith. Our Nation suffered a tremendous loss on February 13 
with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia.
  My husband Chip and I, my parents, and our children are deeply 
saddened by the passing of our friend, our neighbor, and, of course, a 
legal legend. He was a courageous advocate for the rule of law and the 
Constitution.
  Justice Scalia and his wife, Maureen, raised an incredible family of 
9 children and 36 grandchildren, and we have been so privileged to know 
and love them.
  Justice Scalia was both a larger-than-life Justice, who leaves a 
profound legacy in the law, as well as a down-to-earth husband, father, 
grandfather, and absolutely delightful friend who loved his Lord and 
God, his wife and family, the law, the opera, his country, hunting, and 
a good laugh.
  We have all heard the stories of his friendship across the 
ideological spectrum, none more famous than his friendship with Justice 
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Scalia explained: ``If you can't disagree 
ardently with your colleagues about some issues of law and yet 
personally still be friends, get another job, for Pete's sake.''
  Justice Ginsburg explained: ``As annoyed as you might be about his 
zinging dissent, he's so utterly charming, so amusing, so sometimes 
outrageous, you can't help but say `I'm glad that he's my friend or 
he's my colleague.' ''
  Justice Scalia was a shining example of fidelity, as he was ever-
faithful to his oath to the law, to his family, and to his God.
  He was celebrated by so many in the legal community. He was a revered 
mentor to the dozens and dozens of clerks who lined the steps of the 
Supreme Court last Friday in his honor. And every one of them, no 
doubt, had a story that had profound legal discussions in it but also 
ended with a good laugh.
  He simply will be irreplaceable and leaves a legacy that will be 
consequential, discussed, and debated for the ages.
  On the personal front, his life was also a great and consequential 
life. Justice Scalia married his wife of over 55 years, Maureen, in 
1960. They were set up on a blind date. He told one author that Maureen 
was ``the product of the best decision I ever made.''
  His nine children--nine, how appropriate for a Supreme Court 
Justice--were split five and four, five boys, four girls. They became 
lawyers, a priest, a poet, an Army major, and parents themselves of 
those wonderful 36 grandchildren.
  Justice Scalia proudly gave the lion's share of the credit for 
raising this large brood to the resourceful, talented, and very smart 
love of his life, Maureen, who, as her son Paul said in the homily, 
matched him at every step. Justice Scalia said about his children ``and 
there's not a dullard in the bunch.''
  His son, Father Paul Scalia, was the celebrant for his father's 
beautiful funeral mass with the assistance of dozens of priests at the 
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this past 
Saturday.
  Father Paul began his moving homily saying: ``We are gathered here 
because of one man, a man known personally to many of us, known only by 
reputation to many more; a man loved by many, scorned by others; a man 
known for great controversy and for great compassion. That man, of 
course, is Jesus of Nazareth.''

[[Page H840]]

  


                              {time}  1930

  Father Paul continued: ``In the past week, many have recounted what 
Dad did for them. But here today we reflect what God did for Dad, how 
He blessed him.''
  Father Paul explained how his father understood that the deeper he 
went into his Catholic faith, the better a citizen and public servant 
he became. That faith now inspires his children and grandchildren and 
generations to come of the Scalia family and the so many lives he 
touched and influenced.
  Justice Scalia also had a rich tenor voice that intimidated many who 
came before the Court in front of him, but as his son Christopher 
explained, it was also perfect for reading stories to his 
grandchildren. His rendition of ``The Night Before Christmas'' was an 
annual tradition. He also led many sing-alongs at parties, played the 
piano, and also that singing would go on and on for their long car 
rides.
  Pictures with his children and grandchildren cover the walls and the 
end tables and the piano of the Scalia home, and in any picture with 
one or more of those children or grandchildren or with his beloved 
Maureen, Justice Scalia would always be beaming whenever he was around 
his family.
  An only child himself, he loved that he gave his children the gift of 
many brothers and sisters. No doubt that is a great solace to all of 
them now, as well as a source of great strength and support for their 
mother.
  May God bless Justice Antonin Scalia, a good and faithful son, and 
may God bless his wife, Maureen, and their entire family, and the 
scores and scores of their friends and his colleagues and the millions 
more of admirers, and may God bless the country that he so loved.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), 
the distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I especially thank Congresswoman Comstock 
for leading this tribute to Justice Scalia.
  The Nation's legal lights faded recently with the loss of the great 
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but they will not be dimmed for 
long, for Justice Scalia left a legacy of illumination that will 
continue far beyond his mortal years.
  Although Justice Scalia is no longer with us on Earth, his cogent, 
witty, and plain-spoken writings will continue to educate law students 
and good citizens everywhere for centuries to come.
  Justice Scalia was no mere legal technician. He was a deep thinker 
who had an uncommon knack for crystallizing powerful ideas into 
trenchant, lasting prose. The journey on which he led his readers was 
always a joy, always compelling, because Justice Scalia always made 
clear where the path started.
  He once said: ``More important than your obligation to follow your 
conscience, or at least prior to it, is your obligation to form your 
conscience correctly.'' And for Justice Scalia, as with morality, so it 
was with the law. Justice Scalia always made sure he built his argument 
on a solid foundation: the Constitution, the supreme law of the land.
  As a strong defender of the rule of law, he was a gentle legal giant. 
Like all great educators, Justice Scalia was respectful of others, 
regardless of their differing views. ``I attack ideas,'' he once said. 
``I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad 
ideas. And if you can't separate the two, you gotta get another day 
job.'' That is a life lesson for all of us who engage in any debates 
and the ideas that undergird them.
  In that spirit, Justice Scalia often said: ``My best buddy on the 
Court is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has always been,'' and Justice Ginsburg's 
moving tribute to her own best buddy should reduce every bitter 
partisan to tears.
  Throughout his life, Justice Scalia correctly inveighed against the 
notion of a living Constitution, the misguided idea that the 
Constitution's text and original meaning somehow shifted this way and 
that with changes in popular attitudes.
  Justice Scalia said:

       That's the argument of constitutional flexibility and it 
     goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years 
     old, and societies change. It has to change with society, 
     like a living organism, or it will become brittle and break. 
     But . . . the Constitution is not a living organism; it is a 
     legal document. It says some things and doesn't say other 
     things.

  As a lifetime-appointed Supreme Court Justice, Justice Scalia, like 
all other lifetime-appointed judges, had the opportunity to effectively 
alter the meaning of the Constitution if he wanted and could garner the 
support of four of his colleagues. But like George Washington refusing 
the crown offered him, Justice Scalia rejected the notion the Supreme 
Court should impose its own preferred policies on the country through 
strained constitutional interpretations.
  Instead, Justice Scalia was an ardent defender of democracy, 
representative democracy. As he said: ``If you think aficionados of a 
living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. You 
think the death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens 
to adopt it. You want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow 
citizens and enact it. That's flexibility.''
  Justice Scalia's respect for article I of the Constitution, the 
article that begins with these words, ``All legislative powers herein 
granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall 
consist of a Senate and House of Representatives,'' that article, which 
clearly sets forth the powers of the Congress to legislate, not the 
executive branch and not the courts, is one of Justice Scalia's 
greatest legacies.
  As much as Justice Scalia will be remembered as an able critic of the 
notion of a living Constitution, he will be remembered for his own 
living dissents, and many majority opinions, which will live forever in 
the hearts and minds of lovers of the law in America and around the 
world.
  Thank you, Justice Scalia.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
  I yield to my friend, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner).
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend and colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Virginia, Barbara Comstock, for organizing this 
Special Order and for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, Father Paul Scalia said in his beautiful eulogy of his 
father, Justice Antonin Scalia, on Saturday: ``We give thanks that 
Jesus brought him to new life in baptism, nourished him with the 
Eucharist, and healed him in the confessional. God blessed Dad with a 
deep Catholic faith, the conviction that Christ's presence and power 
continue in the world today through His body, the Church.''
  Mr. Speaker, last week our country lost one of its most outspoken and 
dedicated defenders of faith and liberty. For nearly 30 years, Supreme 
Court Justice Antonin Scalia stood as a monument to a faith-based 
viewpoint on the Constitution that will be sorely missed.
  There is no one in the history of our country who better protected 
the original intent of our Constitution and upheld the God-given rights 
of all Americans than Justice Scalia.
  Shown by his fierce dedication to defending our Constitution, from 
protecting Americans from government intrusion to protecting the rights 
of the unborn, Justice Scalia was a man of conviction, a man of 
passion, and a man of integrity.
  His honor and vigilance toward the original meaning of the 
Constitution and his historic dissents will ring throughout history. 
Every single ounce of Justice Scalia's heart and soul was devoted to 
our country, his faith, and his family. His wit, his candor, and his 
character will be missed on our Nation's highest Court. The legacy of 
Justice Scalia must never be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand committed today to ensure we continue to 
prioritize faith and freedom in this country, protecting our natural-
born rights as citizens of the United States of America. It is simply 
the right thing to do.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks.
  I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  When I was informed of the Justice's death, it came across my 
electronic devices. I texted my wife back home, and I said: I just want 
to cry.
  I had the extraordinary privilege of getting to know the Justice on a 
more personal basis. In western Nebraska there is a large outcropping. 
It is called

[[Page H841]]

Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock was the place that marks the halfway point 
across America. When the settlers crossed the great country, when they 
got to Chimney Rock, they knew that they were halfway along their 
journey.
  In the shadow of that rock, just this last December, I was in a duck 
blind with Justice Scalia who, as we all know, had that as an 
avocation. When you spend a couple of days in a duck blind with 
somebody, it is a bonding experience. You get to know them more 
personally.
  In my own reflections about what Chimney Rock meant to the country, a 
bridge between the past and the future, I thought it appropriately 
captured the character, the nature, the wisdom of the great Justice.
  He was a great student of American history, our legal system, a great 
protector of the Constitution and precedents. He understood how 
important it was to act in a consistent manner with principle while 
looking forward and applying that principle in ever-changing 
circumstances of American life. Because he did so with continuity and 
with consistency, he was a man of great integrity. His inner voice 
matched his outer voice.
  When we saw this beautiful outpouring of support at his funeral from 
people all across the political aisle, I think the common narrative 
there was a deep respect for this great man.
  Mr. Speaker, when he died, I felt like America lost her grandfather. 
He was a soaring intellect, had an incisive wit, and had in a certain 
sense a humble personality. He loved to share a joke. For me to have 
the privilege of spending some time in a personal intimate setting with 
him I count as an extraordinary privilege of my time in public service.
  May God rest his soul. May God grant him peace. May God continue to 
bless the United States of America and give us all the strength to 
continue to think through how we are going to elevate and form the next 
generation of Americans who can apply themselves in such an 
extraordinary, sacrificial way as Justice Scalia did.
  I remember one other comment I wanted to leave with you. I remember 
when the Justice asked me: How many children do you have? You 
beautifully talked about how he was so devoted to his family and faith. 
He asked me, knowing that I knew he had nine, he asked me how many 
children. I said: I have five.
  He paused. He said: Respectable.
  That was it.
  I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for her beautiful remarks and 
for giving me this moment to honor this great American.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman for his lovely remarks. Five is 
a good start, right, getting to that nine.
  I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding. I especially thank her for arranging this Special Order 
tonight in memory of Justice Scalia, who was truly a legal giant. He 
was a man who surpassed all of the intellects that I have been aware of 
in my lifetime. Certainly no one in the legal profession has 
demonstrated more of a love for the law, more respect for the law, and 
more respect for the original intent of the Constitution.
  Now, I have nowhere near the personal contact with Justice Scalia 
that the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock) did or the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry). I did meet him on a number of 
occasions. I had the opportunity to speak with him. Usually our 
conversations consisted of talking about the fact that we lived in 
working class neighborhoods in Queens. We grew up about a mile apart 
from each other. We both attended Jesuit high schools. That is about 
where the comparison ended as far as the Jesuit high schools, because 
he was valedictorian and I was far from it. He was a person who had the 
strength of somebody from the neighborhood, but he had the scholar's 
intellect.

                              {time}  1945

  He had an intellect that went beyond tremendous intelligence. It was 
an intellect that was shaped and framed by his deep religious faith and 
a belief in undiminished, lasting, and immutable principles. That is 
what reflected throughout his opinions. Yet he never let his own 
feelings or prejudices influence his thinking.
  That was certainly proven in the flag burning case. If there is 
anyone who loved his country and would oppose the concept of the act of 
flag burning, it was Justice Scalia. Yet he upheld the act as an 
expression of free speech, as much as it pained him.
  Something that many of us in politics and government have a hard time 
doing is following the letter of the law, following the intent of the 
law, and following the meaning of the law. Somehow, we like to put in 
our own feelings and beliefs. The fact is Justice Scalia told us that 
there is a higher principle than that.
  Also he had such a respect for language. There were no easy words 
thrown about. There were no escape clauses or phrases. There was an 
intent and purpose and meaning to everything that he did. To read his 
opinions, whether in the majority--and knowing that he was in the 
majority made us feel much better--or in his dissents, you realized, 
again, how determined he was, how forceful he was, and how committed he 
was to arriving at the correct decision--one which, again, followed the 
original intent of the Constitution.
  There were several references by Barbara Comstock to his funeral 
service on Saturday. Again, it was an expression by so many people of 
their love and respect for such an outstanding human being, a person 
whom I doubt we will ever see the likes of again--certainly, in our 
lifetimes.
  He was a giant of the law. He was a giant of his faith. He was a 
giant of his country. I am proud to join with all of my colleagues 
tonight--especially Barbara Comstock, who arranged this Special Order--
in honoring the memory of Justice Scalia and hoping that that memory 
lives forward to carry out his unmatched love for the law, love for his 
country, and love for his family and his religion.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman from New York for his kind words 
and for bringing a New York flavor here to such a wonderful man.
  I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker).
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for 
taking the initiative to honor such a great man.
  In 1986, Antonin Scalia was nominated. I was a junior in high school. 
I am not sure it really resonated to me at the time what the next 30 
years would entail. I believe it is safe to say that not only is he one 
of the strongest conservative voices of our day, but he could be of all 
time.
  I think of his life and I think of the example that he left for all 
of us, whether in politics or not. It is one thing to be conservative; 
it is another thing to effective. He showed with his life that he did 
not have to compromise his principles or his values to be effective.
  When I look at his peers around him, Justice Ginsburg many times 
talked about the friendship and the relationship she had with him. It 
was genuine. He took Justice Kagan hunting. He taught her how to hunt. 
She killed her first big deer with Justice Scalia at her side. What 
does that tell me? It tells me something that we need to remember: you 
can connect with people, you can hold your values, but you can have a 
genuine love for your fellow man.
  There is much to be said about Antonin Scalia's faith. Obviously, he 
lived it, but he lived it in a way that set an example for all of us. 
Yes, we get frustrated. It is okay to be angry--sometimes vertically, 
but never horizontally--with our coworkers, our friends, our neighbors, 
and our family.
  He set the mark. He set it high. He was someone that could work in, 
arguably, the toughest environment in the world, yet still gain the 
respect of his political archrivals. For that, I thank him. Tonight, I 
honor him for showing us how to be both conservative and effective.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
  I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam).
  Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Comstock for 
organizing this tonight.
  I just have a quick personal story, Mr. Speaker.
  Justice Scalia's daughter, Ann, lives in my neighborhood. I served in 
the State legislature, and I learned that this woman whose last name, 
obviously, was no longer Scalia, was the

[[Page H842]]

daughter of Justice Scalia. So I called her up, and I said: If your dad 
is ever in town, I would love to meet him.
  I was that guy, Mr. Speaker, who made that call, and she was very 
gracious.
  Sometime later, she called me up and said: Peter, my dad is coming 
in. Why don't you and your family stop by.
  So the Roskams ran around the corner. My wife, Elizabeth, myself, and 
my four children, who were young at the time, went over and spent a few 
minutes on a Sunday afternoon with Justice Scalia. He was very 
magnanimous and very gracious in his blue jeans and sweatshirt, getting 
up off the couch, but extending himself to us.
  A couple of years later, I won a seat in the U.S. House. I thought: 
Well, I have got a little bit of a connection. I will reach out and 
call him and try to make a courtesy call.
  I made some contact with his chambers and his staff and they said: 
Well, would you like to come over and listen to an argument?
  As a new Member of Congress, I said: I would love to go over.
  So, over I go and listen to an argument in the Supreme Court. It is 
very dramatic, as you know. I was walking out feeling a little bit let 
down because I actually wanted to say hello to Justice Scalia. But not 
to be disappointed, his staff said: Come on with us.
  So I went up to his office, and there in his chambers he set out a 
lunch. The two of us had lunch together.
  Now, who I was having lunch with was not lost on me. The magnitude, 
the scale, the capacity of this man and his ability to influence things 
on a grand scale was not lost on me. Yet he was really willing to spend 
some time with me that day.
  I have got to tell you one other quick story.
  A few years ago, I invited him to dinner. I said: Justice Scalia, I 
have got a number of my colleagues that would love to have dinner with 
you. Would you be willing to come out?
  Of course, he did.
  I told my wife afterward: This guy is so interesting and so charming, 
if he had a radio show, you would listen to it. You would set your 
timer so that you could listen to him.
  He was so interesting, so cleaver, and so quick and willing to take 
all kinds of questions and all kinds of debate and so forth.
  I just want to close by saying this. There are many, many times when 
we feel overwhelmed by events that are before us in our public life. 
There are many times when our constituents feel overwhelmed and they 
get this sense of: Is there anybody out there that has got some level 
of judgment and wisdom and capacity here? Are there any examples and 
role models?
  The answer is: Justice Scalia. He is an example. He is an example 
that we are all the beneficiaries of: his clear mind; his capacity to 
disagree without being disagreeable; his capacity to build people up; 
his capacity to articulate a world view; his capacity to be a faithful 
and vocal follower of his savior, Jesus, and not be defensive about it; 
and to basically invite people along to celebrate and to participate in 
this great gift, which is our democracy.
  Even in these short interactions that I had with him, you always got 
the sense--or, I did--that he got the joke. In other words, there was a 
twinkle in his eye.
  This is a democracy and we have got roles to play. His role on the 
Court was to do his thing. Our role, Mr. Speaker, is to legislate with 
that same sense of commitment and character and tenacity and clarity 
that Justice Scalia brought to his role on the judiciary.
  So, I want to honor Justice Scalia. I want to honor his wife, Mrs. 
Scalia. I want to honor his children and grandchildren. I thank them, 
because it is a sacrifice for them to have someone of that caliber and 
that capacity in that role for our country. It is not a burden that is 
easy, but they have been willing to bear that burden. Our country is 
better off for it.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman for those lovely memories.
  In the outpouring that we saw in his passing, one of the pictures 
that I saw from a neighbor was a picture of Justice Scalia, who was 
probably coming home for a long day at work, and some children on our 
street had a lemonade stand. He had stopped and gotten out there to 
support those little entrepreneurs. The mom came out and took a picture 
of them. He was there beaming with those kids, in his suit, all dressed 
up, and these little kids are there with their lemonade stand and so 
proud.
  He really did take the time that my friend, Mr. Roskam, spoke about 
and really just engaged and loved life so much.
  I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. DeSantis).
  Mr. DeSANTIS. I thank my colleague from Virginia for organizing this 
fitting tribute to somebody who really, really did make a difference.
  Very few people who serve not only in the judiciary, but really at 
any level of government, leave the lasting mark that Antonin Scalia 
did. He will join the likes of John Marshall, Joseph Story, and Robert 
Jackson as one of the all-time greats in American law.
  I think of all the great things you can say about him. He was sharp, 
he was witty, and he wrote brilliantly. I think the reason why he is a 
titan of modern American law is because he insisted on discharging the 
judicial duty in a way that strengthened our overall constitutional 
order.
  He insisted on textualism when you are interpreting statutes. He had 
an originalist outlook when you are talking about the constitutional 
interpretation. Those frames of reference really vindicated the 
separation of powers.
  The judicial power under Article III is to decide cases and 
controversy. So you have cases before you that you have got to decide. 
It is not to go out and be a roving superlegislature. It is not to 
impose your philosophy on society. You decide cases.
  So, once judges free their decisionmaking from the objective meaning 
of the law in the Constitution, they are taking away power belonging to 
the American people that should be exercised through their 
Representatives. Justice Scalia always understood that. He was always 
insistent that judges have an objective standard when they are 
discharging their duty.
  When you talk about textualism, you read the statute for what it 
says. You don't correct the statute. You don't amend the statute. You 
don't find subjective views of some random legislature who happened to 
say something in a committee hearing. You actually apply the words as 
written. That is the judicial task.
  When you do that, you are basically vindicating the power of the 
Congress and of the people's elected Representatives, because they are 
the ones that wrote the law. If the courts depart from that, then they 
are departing from what the elected Representatives did.
  I am sure he saw countless statutes that were asinine as a matter of 
policy, but he said: That is not my job to correct that. So he is 
absolutely vindicating the separation of powers in the constitutional 
order.
  The same thing with constitutional interpretation. Before Justice 
Scalia took the bench, this was a freewheeling thing. Judges would say: 
Society matures and it is up to us to, effectively, update the meaning 
of the Constitution.
  That means you have five lawyers--unelected, unaccountable--that 
serve as an effective roving constitutional convention that can change 
the Constitution based on one case that happens to come in front of 
them.
  That was something that Justice Scalia thought was totally outside 
the bounds of the proper judicial role. He says the Constitution has a 
fixed, enduring meaning, and it is our job as judges to ascertain that 
meaning and apply it to the cases and controversies before us.
  So, if you look at a figure that has had more impact on how we think 
about the law and the Constitution over the last 50 years, you are not 
going to find one that surpasses Justice Antonin Scalia. He was a great 
American in every respect. He fought the good fight. He finished the 
race. He kept the faith. What a good guy. What a life.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Rothfus).
  Mr. ROTHFUS. I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Virginia, for 
organizing this Special Order on behalf of this remarkable, remarkable 
American.
  On February 13 of this year, our country lost a giant. His legacy 
will

[[Page H843]]

never fade. Justice Scalia influenced countless jurists, attorneys, law 
students, and everyday Americans. My thoughts and prayers have been 
with his wife, Maureen, Father Paul, and the entire Scalia family since 
the passing of this outstanding American statesman.
  Regardless of whether one agreed with his opinions on the Supreme 
Court, this man's consistent integrity and admirable character cannot 
be denied. In both word and action, he was a man of the strongest 
character and deepest virtue.

                              {time}  2000

  This was evident in the commencement address he gave to the 
graduating class of the College of William and Mary in 1996, when he 
said: ``Bear in mind that brains and learning, like muscle and physical 
skill, are articles of commerce. They are bought and sold. You can hire 
them by the year or by the hour. The only thing in the world that is 
not for sale is character.''
  The way he lived out the virtues of integrity and humility did not go 
unnoticed.
  Several weeks ago, we here in Washington had the opportunity to go to 
the National Prayer Breakfast, which attracted Members of Congress, the 
President, Senators, Ambassadors, people from all over the world, and 
we were treated with an appearance by famed tenor Andrea Bocelli.
  I think that Justice Scalia would have enjoyed his appearance and his 
appreciation for opera.
  In addition to his wonderful renditions of ``Panis Angelicus,'' 
which, again would have been another treat for Justice Scalia, and 
``Amazing Grace,'' Mr. Bocelli lamented the dark shadow that war casts 
on the world and expressed concern for its victims, identifying war as 
a major problem in our world today.
  But then it was interesting. Mr. Bocelli stated: ``There is that 
small, hateful word, `hubris,' already known in antiquity.'' The 
ancient Greeks used it to define pride and the arrogance it entails.
  Bocelli's use of the word ``hubris'' was compelling in that he spoke 
it in the center of power here in the United States.
  That word conjures a theme that we have seen in Justice Scalia's 
work. Justice Scalia went about his task of considering significant 
constitutional and legal issues of the day with a profound and seldom 
seen humility about the role of courts in our country.
  They are not there to impose their own beliefs on the people, but to 
adjudicate competing claims in the context of a Constitution that has 
enduring meaning.
  To interpret the law in any other way otherwise aggrandizes power to 
a select few, a power that was never intended by the Founders. This 
humility of position that Justice Scalia had I believe will be a 
lasting legacy.
  Regardless of whether one agrees with Justice Scalia from a policy 
perspective, his writings reflect a profound respect for an 
understanding of our system of government and an unparalleled respect 
for an interpretation of the Constitution grounded in text and in 
history. For this our Nation should be forever grateful.
  May he rest in peace.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. I thank the gentleman, and I thank all of my 
colleagues for their comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate this opportunity for all of our 
colleagues to join us in celebrating the life of this great man, 
Justice Scalia, who so many of us were privileged to know and count as 
a friend.
  For anyone who would like to view the beautiful mass of Christian 
burial for Justice Scalia that was presided over by his son, Father 
Paul Scalia, who gave a beautiful homily, that can be found on C-SPAN. 
I appreciate that that was covered.
  I also, again, appreciate this opportunity to celebrate this 
beautiful life, this family.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

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