Mysterious Ways

Justice Antonin Scalia
1936-2016

The news of the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia came like a clap of thunder on a clear sunny day. It almost had the feel of a divine judgment, something straight out of the Old Testament. After my initial shock, I felt as though it was a kind of heavenly rebuke.

OK, America, the Lord says; you remove me from all public discourse, you scratch my name from buildings, ignore and scoff at my Commandments, denigrate and ridicule the God that the Founding Fathers honored and respected in the nation's framing documents. As punishment, I'll take away your greatest constitutional hero, Justice Scalia--the man who fought fiercely for three decades to preserve the original meaning of the United States Constitution.

But the more I read and watched the endless news and commentary about Justice Scalia, the more I began to see a glimmer of light in this terrible loss. Scalia's death illuminates the importance of the Supreme Court, something many Americans often overlook when casting their votes. His loss elevates the nomination of justices to an urgent election issue that will stay at the forefront, as it rightly should. While we will never see his like again, if his loss reminds voters to consider the crucial balance of the Supreme Court on Election Day, the death of Antonin Scalia could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.