Justice Scalia's Daughter Arrested

By TChris, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 05:17:44 PM EST
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People who have a "throw the book at 'em" attitude about all crime, large and small, often experience a change of heart when a son or daughter is arrested and charged. It's difficult to watch as one's child is chewed up by the criminal justice system.

Justice Scalia doesn't necessarily have a "throw the book at 'em" attitude, but it is interesting to wonder whether his daughter's experience with the criminal justice system will cause him feel a bit more sympathy toward the hardships that ordinary defendants endure during and after an arrest.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's daughter was arrested this week and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and child endangerment, officials said Wednesday.

Ann Banaszewski was arrested after driving with an undisclosed blood alcohol level. Three children were in her van.

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Justice Scalia's Daughter Arrested | 20 comments (20 topical)

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Throw the book at her, anyways. (none / 0) (#1)
by Gabriel Malor on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 05:24:11 PM EST

I don't particularly care whether Justice Scalia is a "clobber 'em with Blackstone's" kinda guy or not. Drunk drivers should have things thrown at them. That is simply unacceptable behavior, made doubly disturbing by the fact that she was driving children around.

Did she have the same experience? (none / 0) (#2)
by lilybart on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 06:28:40 PM EST

Don't you think that Scalia's daughter's case was rushed along? I bet she was not treated quite the same as any old drunk driver.

: huh? (none / 0) (#17)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 07:28:11 AM EST

Now in your rush to disclose a conspiracy, you state this case was "rushed along." I'm puzzled since all that happened is that she was arrested and posted bond and awaits further proceedings. Is it your opinion that the police rushed to arrest her and that the typical person in this situation would not be arrested at the time of the stop? Are you unaware that peope routinely post a bond (often PR or unsecured) immediately for such things? Or. are you just making things up because they conform to your preconceived biases?

Nah (none / 0) (#3)
by Molly Bloom on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 06:58:53 PM EST

Scalia doesn't necessarily have a "throw the book at 'em" attitude, but it is interesting to wonder whether his daughter's experience with the criminal justice system will cause him feel a bit more sympathy toward the hardships that ordinary defendants endure during and after an arrest.

Cynic that I am, I believe Scalia will decide that his daughter's case is different.

Quack Quack (none / 0) (#4)
by jerry on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 07:16:55 PM EST

"It's acceptable practice to socialize with executive branch officials when there are not personal claims against them," he told an Amherst College class this week. "That's all I'm going to say for now. Quack, quack."

Her birthday can't be (none / 0) (#5)
by Edger on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 08:19:17 PM EST

that far away.

In a similar vein... (none / 0) (#6)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 08:25:48 PM EST

People who have a "hey, we're all human; we all make mistakes" attitude about all crime, large and small, often experience a change of heart when a son or daughter is mugged, raped, whatever. It's difficult to watch one's child be chewed up by a criminal and the criminal never brought to justice.

Dude's got like 17 kids (none / 0) (#7)
by Dadler on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 08:40:42 PM EST

Apparently, the guy couldn't pass his wife in the hall without knocking her up. With that many offspring it's like you get a bunch of extra balls in the crime lotto machine. We should be surprised they don't pop up more often.

Sing along now: "Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great, if a sperm gets wasted, God gets quite irate..."

Dadler (none / 0) (#8)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 09:14:14 PM EST

Dadler - That comment is beneath you.


PERSONAL ATTACK ... AGAIN (1.00 / 1) (#11)
by Sailor on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 10:17:05 PM EST

Would TL please explain why this commenter is allowed to constantly 'chatter', insult other commenters and still isn't limited to 4 posts a day!?

If Jeralyn wishes, I could post 10+ examples of how this commenter has broken her rules in just the last 5 days.


: If only it was your blog (none / 0) (#18)
by Peaches on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 08:10:14 AM EST

Hey, great idea. Start your own blog.

I wish I wrote those lyrics (none / 0) (#9)
by Dadler on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 09:26:21 PM EST

If you weren't aware, my boy, that's a classic Monty Python number, from their 1983 film "The Meaning of Life".


Dadler (none / 0) (#15)
by jimakaPPJ on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 06:47:25 AM EST

My comment was that you are a better person than to make such a comment, no matter where the lyrics come from.


: Monty Python is brilliant satire (none / 0) (#21)
by Dadler on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 03:59:41 PM EST

Everyone was fair game. When I was but a decade old, my father took me to see a double feature of Truffaut's "L'Argent de poche (Small Change)" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Now that was a show. From a naked French lady in the window to a rabbit decapitating knights, and every f'd up thing in between, it was a memorable day.
As well, the position of the Catholic Church on birth control does indeed deserve the skewering. As do I on plenty of occasions. For some of my more tiresome rhetorical tendencies. Or my enlightened honky contradictions. Or my choice of beverage.
Peace.

The dudes got... (none / 0) (#12)
by bx58 on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 10:25:21 PM EST

My parents had ten kids and I heard the same crap from idiots in the schoolyard when I was kid.

Let me know when the mandatory sterilization program gets started.


Jeebus Jim (none / 0) (#13)
by Che's Lounge on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 11:07:03 PM EST

Lighten the f**k up!

: Perhaps (none / 0) (#20)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 12:03:42 PM EST

the most ironic comment ever posted on TL.

actually, i thought dadler's (none / 0) (#14)
by cpinva on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 01:38:00 AM EST

comment was right on the mark: statistically, if you have that many kids, the odds are good that one of them will screw up. give scalia and his wife props, this is the first time (that i'm aware of), that one of his has made the news this way.

they must have done something right, or just been very, very lucky.

and the quote from monty python was pretty damn funny too! :)

Why not assume (none / 0) (#16)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 07:18:48 AM EST

that Scalia is horrified that his daughter would endanger children (his grandchildren perchance?) in such a manner and maybe relieved that that the incident ended with nothing worse than a some criminal charges and hopes that this will lead her to seek help for a problem which concerns him greatly?

As MOST people facing such charges (the first time anyway) are able to resolve them without being imprisoned, he is probably less concerned about the potential criminal sanctions than about the health and welfare of his child and grandchildren.

In other words why would we assume he is any different than we would be if it was our family?

Scalia's daughter (none / 0) (#19)
by diogenes on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 09:41:37 AM EST

Those of you who dislike Scalia can attack his positions with ad hominem arguments, although it is a lower form of argument. Attacking his arguments by dragging his daughter through the mud by speculating if he hypothetically will treat her with special treatment rather than waiting for actual facts to unfold is a bit further removed. And if Scalia had a Damascene conversion and called for the end of throwing the book at DWI offenders, who is to say that he would be right rather than being biased by his personal experience?