Constitutional Textualism: Interpreting Our Founding Document, and the Legacy of Justice Antonin Scalia

American legal history and culture distinguishes itself both by its respect for the Constitution and its eagerness to heatedly debate its interpretation. There are those who believe in a “living Constitution,” constructed by the Framers to be flexible and changing with the mores and demands of the progressing society it serves. Others are “textualists,” prominent among them the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who believe that the Framers designed the Constitution to be a stable bedrock of fundamental law with specific avenues for amendment, to serve as a foundation upon which legislative action can build a legal edifice. They see the Constitution as concrete in what it says, and wish to leave anything it does not say to the legislative authority of the Congress and States, rather than the courts.

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Meet the Ambassador: Justin Beegle

Name: Justin Beegleunnamed

Year: 2L (Class of 2017)

Undergraduate institution: Emory University, Class of 2013; NCAA Postgraduate Scholar for Varsity Swimming

Experiences between college and law school: I was a paralegal at a criminal defense law firm in Atlanta, GA for a year. For the summer immediately preceding law school, I worked at a colonial-themed restaurant in Gettysburg, PA. I still have the knickers.
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Meet the Ambassador: Rob Rossi

Name: Rob Rossiunnamed

Year: 3L (Class of 2016)

Undergraduate institution: Boston College, B.S. in Management with concentrations in Finance & Marketing, Class of 2013, graduated magna cum laude

Activities at BC Law (besides being an Ambassador):

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The Best Class I’ve Taken in Law School

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Coming into law school, I had no intention of ever stepping into a court room. I thought I wanted to do education policy work for a non-profit or government agency, hanging out behind a desk, engaging with complex issues at the highest levels, and generally avoiding an adversarial setting at all costs. But then I actually came to law school and what I thought I wanted shifted dramatically — which, spoiler alert, happens a lot!

My 2L year, my dear friend and current Law Student Association Vice President Andrea Clavijo lovingly coerced me into participating in the intra-school Moot Court competition. More on that later (and you can read about it on the BC Law web site here), but the tl;dr version is that Moot Court is basically fake appellate advocacy. Instead of making an argument to a jury, Law & Order style, you and a partner argue in front of a (fake) Supreme Court, focusing on the legal issues and advocating for what the law should be.

The experience was absolutely terrifying, and I. Absolutely. Loved It. Which is what brings me to the actual topic of the post: the best class I’ve taken in law school.

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