Portrait of Antonin Scalia
Center-right · Judge · From history

Antonin Scalia

US Supreme Court Justice, 1986 to 2016

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The leading originalist on the Supreme Court, he argued that judges should apply the Constitution’s text as originally understood, and was known for sharp dissents.

Antonin Scalia sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning free market and slightly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly traditional on culture, strongly institutional on institutions and strongly religious on religion.

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Where Antonin Scalia sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyLeaning free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologySlightly tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionStrongly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Antonin Scalia

Clarence Thomas US Supreme Court Justice, 1991 to present99%Atal Bihari Vajpayee Prime Minister of India, 1996 and 1998 to 200499%Santiago Peña President of Paraguay, 2023 to present99%Andrew Holness Prime Minister of Jamaica, 2011 to 2016 and 2016 to present99%Konrad Adenauer Chancellor of West Germany, 1949 to 196399%Samuel Huntington American political scientist, 1927 to 200898%Ali al-Zaidi Prime Minister of Iraq, 2026 to present98%Mike Pence US Vice President, 2017 to 202198%

People furthest from Antonin Scalia

Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19402%Murray Bookchin American social theorist, 1921 to 20064%John Lennon British musician and peace activist, 1940 to 19804%Peter Kropotkin Russian anarchist and naturalist, 1842 to 19214%

Political views closest to Antonin Scalia

Liberal conservatismCombines free markets and limited government with respect for institutions, tradition…97%One-nation conservatismA paternalist conservatism holding that the better off owe duties to the poor and to…97%Christian democracyBlends Christian social teaching, a social market economy and European cooperation.96%Confucian meritocracyPrefers rule by educated, moral officials chosen by merit over competitive elections.95%

Read more about Antonin Scalia

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Biographies of Antonin ScaliaBooks on liberal conservatism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.