The Funniest Justice, week 5: Sam and Nino’s spring break party
“Suppose that a city decided [it] wanted to attract more students who were going to the beach in Florida for spring break, and so therefore it decided it was going to create a huge beach in front of privately owned homes,” pondered Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito yesterday during oral arguments in a takings case about a law expanding beaches to allow public access. “So you could have televised spring break beach parties in front of somebody’s house.”
Justice Antonin Scalia even had a name for such a law.
“It’s the Spring Break Act of 2010,” Scalia said, earning a round of laughter from the audience.
During oral arguments in the five cases before the Supreme Court this week, Scalia cracked wise a total of four times, padding his lead in the Funniest Justice standings. And Alito did more than play the set-up guy – he earned a laugh on his own this week. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Justice Stephen Breyer also displayed their senses of humor. Roberts earned one laugh this week and Breyer earned three, according to Court transcripts.
Here is the laugh count so far this term:
Here are the laugh standings:
Justice Antonin Scalia: 23
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.: 11
Justice Stephen Breyer: 9
Justice Anthony Kennedy: 3
Justice John Paul Stevens: 2
Justice Samuel Alito: 2
Justice Clarence Thomas (Thomas has remained silent during oral arguments since Feb. 22, 2006): 0
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 0
Justice Sonia Sotomayor: 0
