Antonin ScaliaOne of the many great things about living in Europe is getting the chance to meet famous Americans visiting the Old Continent. They tend to be more relaxed and accessible than they ever would be in the United States, which means you may actually manage to have a pleasant conversation with them without others trying to jostle their way between you. It’s an even bigger thrill when you talk with someone you truly admire, which was certainly the case...

Rev. Robert A. Sirico & Justice Scalia – June 17, 1996 Over the weekend, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, a giant of conservative jurisprudence, stalwart champion of originalist interpretation, and as such a true friend of the Constitution. He was also a friend of the Acton Institute, and we are proud to share the addresshe delivered on June 17, 1997at the Acton Institute’sSeventh Anniversary Dinner in Grand Rapids, Michigan.He titled...

Being “pro business” doesn’t necessarily mean “pro free markets.” Reality TV star and wannabe Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump reminds us of this. Writing for The Stream, Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, argues that not only does Trump seem to be a mercantilist, but, if implemented, this medieval economic system would weaken the United States. What exactly is mercantilism? This system was popular between the 1500s and 1700s and was particularly good to government officials and their allies in...

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died at the age of 79. He reportedly died in his sleep during a visit to Texas. Here are five facts you should know about one of the leading conservative voices on the nation’s highest court: 1.Antonin Scalia (nicknamed “Nino”) was born on March 11, 1936, in Trenton, N.J. He attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, a military school run by the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church, and studied History at Georgetown...

Today is the U.S. federal holiday known as Washington’s Birthday (not “Presidents Day—see item #1). In honor of George Washington’s birthday, here are 5 things you should know about the day set aside for our America’s premier founding father. 1. Although some state and local governments and private businesses refer to today as President’s Day, the legal public holiday is designated as “Washington’s Birthday” in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code. The observance of Washington’s birthday...

Michael Bloombergand Donald Trump are both businessmen, both are politicians, and both are billionaires. Obviously, then,they must know a lot about economics, right? Not necessarily. As Don Boudreaux — a man who does know a lot about economics — correctlypoints out, success at business does not imply knowledge of economics: Knowing how to run a business is not the same thing as knowing economics. To assume that the two domains of knowledge and expertise are the same is an error...

Last Friday, for the first time in history, a Roman Catholic pontiff and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church met face to face. According to Vatican Insider, Metropolitan Hilarion said in a press conference prior to the event that the historic meeting between the Patriarch of Moscow and the Pope “had been in the making for about 20 years” but was speeded up by the “Christian genocide” being caused by terrorists. (You can read an explainer about ithere.) The...

When Justice Antonin Scalia died on Saturday, the Supreme Court lost not only one it’s most astute and brilliant legal mind, but one of the wittiest and most profound judges in American history. Here are six quotes about law and the judiciary to remind you of the rhetorical brilliance of Scalia: On Being a Good Judge: “If you’re going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you’re not always going to...