Does Scalia dispute the accuracy of “The Leak”?

July 25th, 2012

Nina Totenberg reports:

Scalia, however, disputed any notion that the decision sparked anger and acrimony inside the court.

“That’s just not the way justices of the Supreme Court behave, going into pouts. I mean that — it’s absurd,” he said. “If you can’t disagree even vehemently on the law without taking it personally and getting angry at the person, you ought to look for another job.” As if to prove the point, Scalia added that his “best friend on the court is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and God knows she doesn’t vote my way much of the time.”

The justice refused to discuss the court’s internal deliberations, but added pointedly, “You shouldn’t believe this stuff that you read in the press [about internal deliberations]. It’s either made up or comes from an unreliable source.”

Asked if he had ever changed his mind, Scalia replied, “Many, many times.”

“I remember at least one case where I was assigned the opinion and ended up writing it the other way,” he said. “I had to tell my colleagues, ‘I’m sorry, it just wouldn’t write. … The law wasn’t there.”

That is certainly not a denial, and it is not really a disputation.