[EL] Most surprising remark in today's oral argument in the Arizona redistricting case

[Lowenstein, Daniel]

       Probably the two most celebrated dictionaries in the history of the English language, at that!  Surprising indeed.

             Best,

             Daniel H. Lowenstein
             Director, Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions (CLAFI)
             UCLA Law School
             405 Hilgard
             Los Angeles, California 90095-1476
             310-825-5148


________________________________
From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Marty Lederman [lederman.marty at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2015 11:04 AM
To: conlawprof at lists.ucla.edu; Election Law
Subject: [EL] Most surprising remark in today's oral argument in the Arizona redistricting case

SETH WAXMAN:  The meaning of the word "legislature" that we advocate ["the power that makes laws," which Waxman derived from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of English Language (10th ed. 1792) and Noah Webster's Compendious Dictionary of the English Language (1806)] . . . was, in fact, the consensus definition of "legislature."

JUSTICE SCALIA:  . . . . I don't think it was a consensus definition at all.  You've plucked that out of ­­a couple of dictionaries.

[I was present in the Courtroom and can attest that the last sentence was uttered with derision.  I probably was not the only one who was somewhat alarmed to hear that, given the source.]