Scalia fined after car accident
March 30th, 2011
08:53 AM ET
8 years ago

Scalia fined after car accident

Washington (CNN) - A little car accident was not enough to stop Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from making it to work on time Tuesday, and the 75-year-old jurist showed no effects on the bench of his earlier adventure.

Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg confirmed that Scalia was involved in a fender-bender while driving himself to the court on the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway in suburban Virginia.

According to the Washington Post, Scalia rear-ended another car that set in motion an accident that ulitmately affected four cars. He was fined $90 and may contest it in court if the justice so chooses.

The four-lane divided road travels along the Potomac River past the nation's capital, and is popular among both commuters and tourists. The justice was not injured in the incident, and police sources said he was soon on his way.

Scalia was on hand when oral arguments began at 10 a.m. in one of the biggest cases of the term, a discrimination claim by female workers against Wal-Mart Stores, which has the potential of becoming the largest class-action lawsuit in U.S. history. No public mention was made of the accident, and Scalia, as usual, was an active questioner from the bench.

It is extremely rare for a justice to show up late to a public session, and Scalia did not disappoint.

Filed under: Antonin Scalia
soundoff (16 Responses)
  1. Henry Miller, Libertarian

    GW Parkway is narrow, kinda twisty, and people move fast–it's an exciting drive. There's one place, not far from Mount Vernon, where the road curves around a huge old tree. Urban legend has it that they nail another reflector to the tree every time someone hits it–there are about a hundred reflectors nailed to the tree.

    March 30, 2011 09:28 am at 9:28 am |
  2. Shawn

    Fined? This right-wing fascist should be IMPEACHED along with that criminal Thomas. These are the most ideologically deranged and corrupt Supreme Court justices in US history.

    March 30, 2011 09:48 am at 9:48 am |
  3. Sagebrush Shorty.

    Take it to court and plead insanity. With some of the Supreme Court decisions lately I don't think there will be any problem convincing a jury.

    March 30, 2011 09:55 am at 9:55 am |
  4. ConservaFascists/FUBAR

    $90? That's a bit cheap for a fender bender. I wonder who he bribed.

    March 30, 2011 10:04 am at 10:04 am |
  5. GOP = Greed Over People

    No need to worry about Scalia, causing a minor rear end collision.

    When you are in a land yacht formerly know as a Lincoln Town Car and all the "little people" are in Kia's, Corolla's and Focus' because they cannot afford the price of gasoline, you are bound to be ok.

  6. William

    This particular justice has always considered himself special, and above the laws that govern the common people like ourselves. Is anyone surprised with his actions?

    March 30, 2011 10:18 am at 10:18 am |
  7. Josh

    I wonder if the Justice was talking or texting on his cell phone when he rear-ended the vehicle in front of him?

  8. John G

    Yeah, this really makes up for all the damage he's caused this country.

    March 30, 2011 10:20 am at 10:20 am |
  9. Mary

    well i am glad Justice Scalia is okay how about everyone else in four cars affected. sounds like no one was giving enough distance or was he going too fast?

    March 30, 2011 10:24 am at 10:24 am |
  10. diridi

    is this a big news??? Every one is equal in the eyes of the is an equality clause.....if you went to law school, you know...o.k. I do not know whether Harvard teaches these or is a law...

  11. Greg

    What about the other people in the accident? Were they hurt? It's Interesting that the article doesn't even care about the other people.

    March 30, 2011 10:32 am at 10:32 am |
  12. dumbasrocks [R]s

    He initiated a 4-car accident, and he's going to contest it in court? I can hear it now: nowhere in the Constitution is there mention of traffic fines or the illegality of rear-ending another vehicle. In fact nowhere in the constitution are cars even wonders why Scalia or any "strict constructionist" would even drive them...they are clearly uinconstitional!!

    That past [R] presidential nincompoops would put this kind of legal monkey on the supreme court is a travesty. That a significant number of American voters are so stupid as to elect such a [R] president to appoint such judicial nonsense speaks of a significant mental malignancy within our populace.

  13. NVa Native

    Scalia is a discrace with his injecting his religion of choice and personal opinions into our justice system. He is the definiation of "activist judge" in the worse sense. I can just see him driving away from the scene of an accident he caused claiming he is too important to be bothered with the laws and obligations the rest of us abide by.
    Scalia is the lowest form of an arrogant/indifferent prick.

  14. Fair is Fair

    "He was fined $90 and may contest it in court if the justice so chooses."

    Can you imagine being the magistrate in traffic ourt and the defendant is a Supreme Court Justice?

    March 30, 2011 10:35 am at 10:35 am |
  15. Christopher

    I'm glad that after rear-ending a car, he was able to get to work in time to continue rear-ending the American people. Perhaps if he had ridden a horse as the Founders intended, he wouldn't have had so much trouble.

    March 30, 2011 10:43 am at 10:43 am |
  16. Edward

    Scalia will find a way around this. Let's see: Corporations are people, money is free speech and cars are fish. You see, he wasn't even driving a car.

    March 30, 2011 10:51 am at 10:51 am |