Justice Kagan's beautiful remarks at the Antonin Scalia Law School dedication

Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, left, Clarence Thomas, center, and Stephen G. Breyer, right, listen as Justice Elena Kagan speaks during the dedication of the Antonin Scalia Law School on Oct. 6 in Arlington. To the right of Thomas is his wife, Virginia. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

On Thursday, my law school held a dedication ceremony, attended by six Supreme Court justices, honoring the renaming of George Mason University's law school as the Antonin Scalia Law School. Justice Elena Kagan spoke at the dedication, and her remarks are well worth watching. She began, "I'm deeply honored to participate in this dedication of the Antonin Scalia Law School. Although, I have to admit, the name strikes me as a little bit formal: I'm wondering if I can substitute the word 'Nino.' It's so fitting—so right—that a fine law school like this one should bear Justice Scalia's name." It's perhaps worth noting that the Scalia Law School has close ties to the Volokh Conspiracy: Three bloggers (me, Ilya and Todd) are professors there; Eugene Kontorovich started his academic career at Mason, before moving on to Northwestern; Jonathan graduated from the law school; and Eugene Volokh and David Post have been visiting professors.