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Harvard Law School Honors Scalia With Endowed Professorship

By William Vogeler, Esq. on July 06, 2017 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Justice Antonin Scalia, who began his legal career aspiring to teach the law, will continue that path through the Antonin Scalia Professorship of Law at Harvard Law School.

The law school announced the endowed professorship, "which stands as both a testament to Justice Scalia's legacy on the Supreme Court and as a vote of confidence in a new generation of scholars," said former Harvard dean Martha Minow.

"Justice Scalia had a singular impact on statutory analysis and legal thought," Minow said. "He also had a great love of learning."

"Love of Learning"

Scalia graduated magna cum lauded from Harvard Law School in 1960, and served as editor of the Law Review. Terry Considine, who graduated from Harvard in 1969 and started the Considine Family Foundation, said his family endowed the professorship because of Scalia's legacy in the law.

"A value embodied by Justice Scalia was to respect and even enjoy those with whom you disagree," Considine said. "It is often said that his close friends on the Court included Justices Ginsburg and Kagan, notwithstanding frequent differences of opinion on issues before the Court."

Scalia spent his early career in private practice, but said he always wanted to teach. He taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and Stanford University. He was a professor at Chicago when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

"A Forceful Intellect"

Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986, Scalia served on the Court for almost 30 years. He earned a reputation as a strong conservative with "a forceful intellect, a remarkable wit, and an inimitable writing style."

He was a life-long Catholic and a father of nine children. He died in his sleep on February 13, 2016, after a hunting trip.

His death created a vacancy at the Court for over a year. President Trump appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed in April, to take his place.

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