Who Is The Most Sarcastic Justice On The Supreme Court?
Go ahead, take a wild guess.
Justice Scalia’s sarcasm is a mixed blessing. On the one hand sarcasm makes his opinions punchy and interesting, clarifying where he stands in a case and why and gaining attention for his ideas. On the other hand, such heavy use of sarcasm can demean the court, and it arguably demonstrates Justice Scalia’s lack of respect for the legal opinions of his colleagues. In the end, his sarcasm may be his most enduring legacy.
— Professor Richard Hasen, referring to Justice Antonin Scalia’s sarcasm rating of 2.78 — the highest recorded rating among all justices — which was derived from the judicial sarcasm index he developed while working at the University of California at Irvine School of Law.
(If you’re interested, flip the page to read Professor Hasen’s essay, The Most Sarcastic Justice, which provides empirical evidence on Scalia’s sarcasm.)
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