Legal News

Nino and the City: When Scalia Met Sarah Jessica Parker

By Dan Slater

This morning, in a rather puerile diversion, the Law Blog engaged some colleagues over the following question: If Justice Antonin Scalia were a character from “Sex and the City,” which would he be? Certainly, like Samantha, he’s intrepid and unequivocal. But he’s also got some of Carrie’s thoughtfulness, Samantha’s politics and Miranda’s work ethic.

Why spill pixels over this admittedly difficult, but rather lowbrow question? Well, it turns out that Justice Scalia is a “Sex and the City” fan, according to a report on New York Magazine’s Intelligencer blog.

When Sarah Jessica Parker, the show’s star, finished an interview with Charlie Rose on May 29, she stopped outside the Bloomberg building, in Manhattan, for a cigarette. That’s when Justice Scalia reportedly emerged from a nearby Town Car and rushed over to praise the star.

“He was absolutely gushing, telling her how much he loved her show and how excited he was to see the movie,” says a witness. “Finally, he asked her if he could bum a cigarette.” She obliged, the witness said, and then Scalia strolled away.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman confirmed the meeting to New York magazine, but denied the cadge. “He was there for a symposium,” she said. “And he lent her a match.”

Update: Legal Times’s Tony Mauro is throwing a little water on the story. Writes Mauro:

The version from inside the Court, corroborated by a source in New York who witnessed the encounter and wants to remain nameless, is quite different. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she did confirm the meeting, but not the details that the magazine offered. In reality, Arberg said, Justice Scalia did not need a cigarette. But when Parker asked for a light for hers, he provided it (as any Old World-style gentleman like Scalia would, we might add).

No offense to Parker, but Arberg also confirms that when the two first met on the sidewalk, Scalia did not know who Parker was. After introductions, Scalia realized her identity, but Arberg said, “Her work did not come up in the conversation.” In other words, the justice did not gush.

Photos: AP

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on June 09, 2008 (boomark / email).