Ed Whelan Awarded Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies


February 9, 2021


The Ethics and Public Policy Center takes great pleasure in announcing that, with the blessing and support of the family of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow Ed Whelan has been awarded EPPC’s new Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies.

“No one has been a more dedicated, effective defender of my father’s legacy than Ed Whelan,” said former Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “On behalf of my mother and all the Scalia family, I congratulate him on his new position and this well-deserved honor.”

EPPC President Ryan Anderson celebrated the award: “My deepest thanks go to the Scalia family for this Chair in tribute to the great Justice and in appreciation of Ed Whelan’s outstanding work.”

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to clerk for Justice Scalia three decades ago,” said Mr. Whelan, “and there can be no higher honor for me than this Chair bearing his name. I’m eager to continue to explain and explore his jurisprudence in the public square.”

Mr. Whelan was a law clerk to Justice Scalia for the Supreme Court’s October 1991 Term. Over his 17 years at EPPC, he has been a leading proponent of Justice Scalia’s interpretive methodologies of originalism and textualism. He is co-editor of three volumes of Justice Scalia’s work: Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived (Crown Forum, 2017), a New York Times bestselling collection of speeches by Justice Scalia; On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer (Crown Forum, 2019), a collection of Justice Scalia’s writings on faith and religion; and The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law (Crown Forum, 2020), a collection of Justice Scalia’s views on legal issues.

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Praise from Leading Legal Scholars

“As a constitutional geek, I am always looking for intelligent and incisive constitutional commentary anywhere I can find it. Ed Whelan delivers. His quick takes are smart and stylish, and many of his broader themes and enduring preoccupations are deep and powerful. Even on those topics when Ed and I are apt to disagree, I always look forward to reading him to see the best formulation of the other point of view. Antonin Scalia would be proud indeed; somewhere in the heavens he is surely smiling.” – Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University

“No one has done more than Ed Whelan to defend originalist justices, judges and judicial nominees from unfounded criticisms. Through his fearless and indefatigable writings, he has contributed immeasurably to the improvement of the federal judiciary. Even when we disagree, I always find his views to be serious and thoughtful.” – Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, Georgetown Law School

“How fitting it is that the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies is awarded to a protégé and former clerk of the great originalist Justice—one who emphatically shares Nino Scalia’s devotion to the Constitution and the Rule of Law.” – Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University

“A leading authority on Justice Scalia’s thought, Ed Whelan is the ideal person to fill EPPC’s Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies. I know from my days working closely with Ed in the Bush Justice Department, and from following his work ever since, that he has a sharp mind, is intellectually rigorous, and possesses enormous personal integrity.” – Jack L. Goldsmith, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

“Ed Whelan has become the indispensable man for coverage of the issues that Nino Scalia cared about. His books and blogging keep the Scalia voice and heritage alive.” – Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center, Stanford Law School


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