Some Of My Best Friends Are Supreme Court Justices*

What of Rep. Barney Frank's assertion that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a "homophobe"? This may have been impolitic.** It may have been rude.*** But let's look at the data.

Here's what Justice Scalia said in his dissent in Romer v. Evans:

"This Court has no business imposing upon all Americans the resolution favored by the elite class from which the Members of this institution are selected, pronouncing that 'animosity' toward homosexuality . . . is evil. I vigorously dissent."

And:

"Amendment 2 is designed to prevent piecemeal deterioration of the sexual morality favored by a majority of Coloradans, and is not only an appropriate means to that legitimate end, but a means that Americans have employed before."

What was Amendment 2? It basically said that no city or town could pass legislation protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.

Well, we've all said things we regret. But Justice Scalia doesn't regret a single morsel of what he said in Romer v. Evans. So a few years later, in Lawrence v. Texas, he said:

"Today's opinion is the product of a Court, which is the product of a law-profession culture, that has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda, by which I mean the agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual conduct."

Are these the words of a homophobe? Justice Scalia has at least one prominent conservative defender. But as of right now, most of the conservative corners of the blogosphere are so outraged by Rep. Frank's comment that they haven't even weighed in on it.

UPDATE (8:45 a.m.): Not quite outrage, but some typical pseudo-agnostic snark from the Instapundit.

UPDATE (10:14 a.m.): This, from the Corner, approaches outrage, but not head-on.

*Not really. That might be cool, though.

**No way. Barney Frank said something impolitic?

***See ** above.