U.S. Supreme Court justice scalia addresses law school

Jackson, MS - On Tuesday, April 4, Mississippi College School of Law hosted U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  Justice Scalia spoke to law students, faculty and local attorneys about the role of international law in the American legal system.  

"Our founding fathers did not intend for us to emulate the Europeans," said Justice Scalia, who is not a supporter of the growing trend of U.S. judges to cite international law sources in their judicial opinions.

He suggested that the increasing use of international law in U.S. judicial decisions is problematic because it provides judges with more varied materials to reach the conclusions they desire instead of strictly interpreting and applying U.S. law.  

"The Courts job is not to write a constitution," he said.  "It is to intrepret it."  

In addition to speaking to the Law School community, Justice Scalia joined Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit Deanell Tacha, 5th Circuit Judge Grady Jolly, Federal District Court Judge David Bramlette and former federal Judge Charles Pickering Sr. as a judge of the Third Annual Mississippi Moot Court Championship between University of Mississippi School of Law and Mississippi College School of Law.   

"This event was so special to our entire law school community," said Dean Jim Rosenblatt of Mississippi College School of Law. "We felt privileged to host Justice Scalia and Chief Judge Tacha. Our students are abuzz about this opportunity to directly interact with such distinguished judges."    

Scalia's lecture is part of  Mississippi College School of Law's Moot Court Board's Supreme Court Practice Series.