Over his 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia’s methods of statutory and of constitutional interpretation had a profound effect upon the discourse among the Justices and upon the legal academy.  With regard to statutes, he focused upon the text, rejecting resorts to “legislative history.” In interpreting the Constitution, he sought out the "original public meaning" of the Constitution, rejecting the idea of a "living Constitution." 

Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg will discuss two fundamental questions raised by Justice Scalia's jurisprudence:  What is the purpose of having a written constitution?  And does a statute mean what it says or what a court thinks the legislators meant to say?

Registration required: http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/kerr