U.S. Supreme Court
Ginsburg and Scalia Celebrate New Year Together, Despite Differences
Posted Jan 2, 2008, 06:36 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia may be far apart in their views, but they have a lasting friendship.
After Ginsburg joined Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, they began celebrating New Year’s Eve together along with their spouses and a few other couples, USA Today reports. Ginsburg hosts the annual gathering. Scalia was elevated to the court in 1986 by President Reagan; Ginsburg was appointed by President Clinton.
Previously Ginsburg and Scalia served together on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. They often read each other’s opinions with a scholarly eye and offered suggestions for improvement. Both had been law professors.
On the high court, the liberal Ginsburg has disagreed with Scalia 52 percent of the time in nonunanimous cases, the story says, quoting SCOTUSblog. She disagreed with only one justice more often—Clarence Thomas, with whom she has differed 55 percent of the time.
"I have always enjoyed Nino," Ginsburg told USA Today. "No matter how overworked and tired I feel, he can always say things that make me laugh. He can also say things I find provocative, even irritating."
Scalia says he likes Ginsburg "because she is an intelligent woman and a nice woman and a considerate woman—all the qualities that you like in a person."