Published January 13, 2015
The Constitution doesn't prohibit abortion any more than it allows it, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says in a television news interview to be broadcast Sunday.
Scalia told CBS News' "60 Minutes" that he may be conservative, but he is not biased on issues that come before the court. "I mean, I confess to being a social conservative, but it does not affect my views on cases," Scalia said in excerpts released Thursday.
"On the abortion thing, for example, if indeed I were ... trying to impose my own views, I would not only be opposed to Roe versus Wade, I would be in favor of the opposite view, which the anti-abortion people would like to see adopted, which is to interpret the Constitution to mean that a state must prohibit abortion," Scalia told correspondent Lesley Stahl.
"And you're against that?" Stahl asked.
Scalia replied, "Of course. There's nothing" (in the Constitution to support that view).
The interview is tied to the publication on Monday of a new book, "Making Your Case: the Art of Persuading Judges," that Scalia, 72, wrote with legal writing expert Bryan Garner.
The "60 Minutes" segment also touches on Scalia's oft-repeated advice to Democrats who are still sore about the court's role in deciding the 2000 Florida recount case in favor of George W. Bush and against Al Gore.
"Get over it. It's so old by now," he said.
Stahl asked Scalia to respond to the contention that the court's decision in Gore v. Bush was based on politics and not justice. "I say nonsense," Scalia said.
Scalia said Gore was the one who said, "'I want this to be decided by the courts."'
Bush's legal team, however, was the first to go into federal court in November 2000 to try to block by-hand recounts in some Florida counties.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/justice-scalia-abortion-not-prohibited-in-constitution