Interview of a Master, about a Master

One of the patron saints of this blog, Bryan A. Garner, is interviewed re his and Justice Antonin Scalia's new book Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts here.

When Scalia Trips

United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia tripped and fell outside a Rhode Island restaurant last Sunday. He was not hurt. It is not true that a spokesperson for the American Constitution Society commented, "We always thought that old man been trippin'."
Thanks to Howard Bashman's How Appealing  blog for showing the news item.

The Supreme Court of the United States Is More Likely to Overturn a Ninth Circuit Decision Than Other Circuits'

Savvy appellate lawyers know that final courts like the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas have some intermediate appellate courts that they are more willing to reverse than others. For the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ninth Circuit is the intermediate court they are most likely to reverse. Ninth Circuit parties unhappy with the result in their cases, especially those whose result would be unpleasing to the Chief Justice and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito have a better chance of getting relief than unhappy people from other courts of appeal.
The post explaining why this is not very important as to SCOTUS is the post just before this one.

Unfair to Staten Island

If Elena Kagan is confirmed, she will be the Supreme Court justice from Manhattan. Antonin Scalia is from Queens. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is from Brooklyn. Sonia Sotomayor is from The Bronx. This is unfair to Staten Island.
Hat tip to Jonathan H. Adler of The Volokh Conspiracy.