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Average Rating: Rating: - Loyal to the Language and Letter of the Law... This book is a must for anyone interested in the debate surrounding statutory interpretation and constitutional law. I began law school and before I knew anything - I mean a TOTALLY blank slate - about the Justices on the Supreme Court I quickly learned that I was "supposed" to hate Justice Scalia because he is a "stupid racist/facist/sexist" etc. Ironically, the more I learn about Scalia the more I understand why he is hated by the liberal left: Scalia doesn't sell out the law to political correctness. I, for one, admire that, but I don't pretend that isn't so because of my own political ideology. However, it is certain that Scalia is a brilliant and learned jurist, and, regardless of your politics, his judicial philosophy is wonderful to study. Reserve judgment on Scalia and his Textualism until you have read, understand, and have digested the debate and Scalia's position. Be sure to ask yourself throughout the book: is the law certain? If not, ought the law be certain? If so, how ought one interpret statutes to facilitate and/or preserve the most possible certainty in the law? To underestimate Scalia is unfortunate; to dismiss him because he doesn't decide cases "your way," without considering his jurisprudence, is flat out ignorant. Rating: - Recommended, but with reservations. I assume you have seen a description of the book already. The book is good enough to be recommended overall, but there were some disappointments. First, the justice does not stay long on his professed topic, the interpretation of statutes, but goes over into constitutional interpretation. Those who make replies follow gladly, and there is really little on the whole about statutory instead of constitutional interpretation. Moreover, the justice did not make it clear enough to me how his textualist philosophy differs from literalism, which he explicitly disavows. Also dissappointing is that I think the justice could have made a much stronger case for what I do glean to be his philosophy by invoking legal principles already understood when the constitution was written, and especially by invoking Justice Story's brilliant decision in Martin v Hunter's Lessee. In that decision rules of constitutional interpretation are stated clearly and authoritatively, and are much along the lines of what Scalia advocates. Lastly, Justice Scalia's essay does not measure up to the keenness of insight and language he shows in his best dissents, though there are some good moments. Despite these drawbacks, it is a very thought- provoking work and its brevity gives one less of an excuse for not reading it. It is largely free of technical vocabulary and there are no arcane discussions. Rating: - A fine critique of modern legal philsophy in the US. Antonin Scalia is blessed with a powerful intellect and a persuasive manner of expression. It's about time that a member of the US Supreme Court explained in terms intelligible to the average "newspaper reader" just what is going on in federal appeals courts. If not all of Justice Scalia's recommendations are correct, he certainly, at long last, has been able to ask the right questions. Proponents of judicial activism (and Scalia graciously shares space with two of the most famous, Tribe & Dworkin) will be hard-pressed to keep up the pretense that federal courts today are much more than arenas for elite social engineers to rework society in their own image and likeness. A fine study in modern legal philosophy, I recommend this work with few reservations. My complete review of Justice Scalia's book can be found in "National Catholic Register" 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 1997, p. 6. I have seen the review posted on the Web as well.

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