Scalia Leads in Laugh Tally
Justice Antonin Scalia may be controversial, but he’s also funny. In fact, he holds a six-laugh lead over his Supreme Court colleagues.
The DC Dicta blog keeps a running tally of laughs generated by the justices’ comments in oral arguments. Scalia has so far generated 36 laughs this term, followed by Stephen G. Breyer with 30, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. with 26, the blog reports.
At the bottom of the list are Clarence Thomas, who hasn’t asked any questions in oral arguments, Samuel A. Alito Jr. with only two laughs, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg with only four.
Only nine oral arguments are left this term, keeping Breyer and Roberts in the running for funniest justice. Scalia took the laugh title last term, with 74 laughs during oral arguments. He far surpassed Roberts, who came in second with only 23 laughs.
The blog comes to its conclusions after examining oral argument transcripts that include the notation, “[Laughter.]”
Hat tip to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.
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