Political Thought of Justice Antonin Scalia - by James B Staab (Paperback)

About the Book

The Political Thought of Justice Antonin Scalia explores the similarities in political and constitutional thought between Justice Antonin Scalia and Alexander Hamilton and concludes that Hamilton holds the key to understanding Justice Scalia's past, present, and future decisio...

Book Synopsis

The Political Thought of Justice Antonin Scalia explores the similarities in political and constitutional thought between Justice Antonin Scalia and Alexander Hamilton and concludes that Hamilton holds the key to understanding Justice Scalia's past, present, and future decisions. From the fundamental premises of human nature to federalism, James B. Staab uses comparisons between the two men to find the underlying judicial philosophy that connects Justice Scalia's manifold decisions.

Review Quotes

... an insightful and very readable analysis of Justice Scalia's jurisprudence, particularly with respect to federalism and separation of powers. Students and specialists alike will find the work useful and illuminating.

In an increasingly crowded field of judicial biographies of Justice Scalia, Professor Staab's book stands out. His factual, intellectual, and sophisticated analysis of the Justice's Hamiltonian Weltanschauung deserves close attention by all seriously desirous of understanding Scalia's uniquely challenging jurisprudence.

In the 200-year-history of the Supreme Court, no sitting justice has been the subject of such an extensive scholarly literature, as has Scalia. Through countless articles and numerous book-length treatments a contentious sub-literature has formed that attempts to explain his jurisprudence and effect on the law. ... one can only be intrigued by a book that describes Scalia as a Hamiltonian.

James Staab's comprehensive review of Justice Scalia's approach to judging argues that Scalia is a Hamiltonian and forthrightly grapples with Scalia's departures from Hamilton's nationalism. The first major work to move beyond the simplicities of calling Scalia a conservative or a textualist, instead locating Scalia's jurisprudence in American political thought, Staab's book is an invaluable contribution to understanding one of the most important justices on today's Supreme Court.

Professor Staab has produced a carefully crafted, nuanced portrait of Antonin Scalia-the U.S. Supreme Court's most colorful and influential conservative justice. Comparing Scalia to an equally intriguing American character-Alexander Hamilton- is as original as it is brilliant!

This highly sophisticated attempt to link the jurisprudence of Justice Antonin Scalia to the thought of Alexander Hamilton shows the inadequacy of traditional conservative labels. . . . Of definite value for upper-division undergraduates and above . . . [and] essential for law collections.

This is a first-rate work of scholarship, analysis, and clear writing.

About the Author

James B. Staab is a professor of political science at the University of Central Missouri.