Paying Tribute to Justice Antonin Scalia
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Family members and friends, they're continuing to walk out of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception here in Washington, D.C. A very, very powerful moving two-hour mass of Christian burial for Antonin Scalia, the associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. Jake, this was a powerful -- these were powerful two hours, I must say, especially because Father Paul Scalia, the son, one of nine children of Justice Scalia, delivered such a powerful homily.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: The ability of father Paul Scalia to conduct that service as the celebrant and offering the homily, with such dignity and composure, I know he's trained for it and I know that he would probably say it's his faith that got him through it, but still one has to marvel at how difficult it must be to conduct a service like that for one's own father, especially a father who was such a larger-than-life figure, not only to the nation but, according to the sons and family members of Justice Scalia, to the family as well. And it's such a tribute to him that Father Scalia was able to do it in such a way, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And he did combine personal reflections of his dad, of his father, with such powerful meaning and even brought in a little joke here and there.</s>TAPPER: He did. There were some moments here and there about the one time that his father accidently got in line for confession with his son, and then realized his mistake. Also I have to say it's moments like these when you see the American family coming together in such a place, setting aside partisan fights of the past. Vice President Biden, who has known Scalia for decades, was there with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and according to accounts from inside, he greeted Justice Clarence Thomas who was also close with Justice Scalia, shook his hand. Obviously the two had a rough spot back during the Clarence Thomas hearings so many years ago, but in moments like this, people put aside such disputes and such ugly histories and realize what binds us all together.</s>BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin, you studied the Supreme Court, you had many opportunities over the years to meet with Justice Scalia. This is precisely the kind of mass he would have appreciated.</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Exactly. Justice Scalia was a traditional man and this was a traditional mass. And I think the other thing that has -- struck me in watching it is that this was still such an unexpected death. You know, Justice Scalia was 79 years old. It is not of course out of the realm of possibility that a 79-year-old or anyone could die in any moment, but he was so full of life, so aggressive, he was so much the -- at the heart of the Supreme Court. The idea that he died so suddenly is something that -- it struck me today and it certainly struck me yesterday when I was paying my respects at the casket at the Supreme Court, is that he just leaves a huge void at the Supreme Court and in American life. I would be willing to bet more Americans have heard of Antonin Scalia than have heard of John Roberts. He's just been there for so long, he's been prominent for so long that his departure from the Supreme Court will change that institution profoundly, and that's a big deal.</s>BLITZER: A very big deal. We see the hearse now beginning to move away from the Basilica. Jake, we still don't know exactly, they haven't told us where he will be buried, but this hearse is now moving in this -- in this direction. Just a reflection with that -- you see all these other vans now. It's a huge family that's following that hearse.</s>TAPPER: Yes. It is a -- and you know, it's a very sad moment and as Jeffrey noted this was somebody who just was an enormous presence on the American stage. This is somebody whose views, his dissents, even if one vociferously disagreed with him, one could find pleasure in the cleverness and the skills of the writer. He was a -- he was a brilliant and gifted writer. And it is a real loss. There are, of course, many, many people who disagree with Justice Scalia on issues but as a person he was really loved and respected. And Pamela Brown, you were at the Supreme Court yesterday and you saw people paying tribute and they weren't all former justices or former clerks. A lot of them were employees of the Supreme Court.</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Employees of the Supreme Court. It was a tight knit community, we can't forget. You know, there's four clerks per justice and there are not that many people that work there. And I keep thinking about how difficult this must be for the other justices on the bench. He had his own unique relationships with other justices. Justice Ginsberg, who was liberal on the bench, polar opposite, they were friends. They, you know, rode elephants together in India, went parasailing together, loved the opera. He had a very close relationship with Justice Thomas, who he not only shared conservative ideology with, but off the bench they were very close. And, you know, this has really struck a chord with his former clerks as well who we saw lined up there on the steps, many of them who say that Justice Scalia really changed their lives. But also it's worth noting that -- he was a controversial figure through the years, but despite that, people yesterday in line who we spoke with were able to put this aside and say, we want to pay respect to this man because he gave 30 years of his life to public service. And he had such impact on the court, left an indelible mark as someone who changed the way we look at the law with his originalism and belief.</s>TAPPER: Father Beck, I want to bring you in here. One suspects that Justice Scalia, wherever he is, would have really enjoyed his son's celebration of his life. And it started out in an interesting way where one thought that he was talking about paying tribute to his father. He said everyone had gathered there to pay tribute to one man. Let's play that back.</s>REV. PAUL SCALIA, SON OF JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA: A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy and for compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth.</s>TAPPER: Father Beck, a very interesting moment. Obviously a lot of people, as was intended, thought he was referring to his father.</s>FR. EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Yes. It really was interesting, Jake. And I can tell you, I mean, as a priest who buried his own father just two months ago, it's not an easy thing to do, especially an unexpected death like this. And I think the way he was able to do it was just what you saw. He focused on the message of Christ. He said that his father did not like eulogies. So he did not eulogize his father. He talked about Jesus yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And wove how his father is part of the fabric of the story of Jesus. He said his father was a practicing Catholic. And usually we think that means well, someone who goes to mass, et cetera. But he said no, it meant he was imperfect. He was a sinner. He hadn't gotten it right. And so it really was a theology lesson, a very beautifully executed theology lesson and tribute to his father and his father's</s>TAPPER: And Wolf, it wasn't of course only serious. There were some lighter moments as well.</s>BLITZER: Yes, Father Beck, I want you to respond to this. I'll play this little clip. This is once again Father Paul Scalia, the son of Justice Scalia, talking about an incident involving confession.</s>SCALIA: The issue that evening was not that I've been hearing confessions but that he had found himself in my confessional line.</s>BLITZER: That was typical Justice Scalia. Those of us who met him, albeit briefly over the years, he had that sense of humor.</s>BECK: And I so resonated with that. You know, my parents were the same way. They would never go to confession to me, and I wouldn't want them to go to me, it's just not something you do. So to bring that kind of humor in the way the justice was able to and for his son to bring that in, I really did humanize his father. I think many people saw Justice Scalia as kind of stoic, very removed. He would be studying a lot. And you saw that somewhat in this funeral. I mean, to have that composure of that family, that was a lot of strength there, but it was based on faith. This was a faith filled family, and they're holding on to that faith. And I think what you see there is a great testimony to how that has allowed them to get to where they are today.</s>BLITZER: Joan Biskupic, it really was a moving homily that was delivered by the son. And I was personally amazed that he could get through it as strongly as he did. I am sure he loved his dad as much as any good son would love his father and he got through it, but you know this family well.</s>JOAN BISKUPIC, AUTHOR, "AMERICAN ORIGINAL": Well, I'm sure the father and mother, backbone, discipline, they were certainly watchwards of the family. They had this tradition, they had this conservatism, and one thing I do want to mention, we were all captivated by the son's words. And I'll never forget Maureen Scalia saying at one point we don't do boring. So even with such a solemn occasion, there was so much to listen to in his words. I was especially struck by the final tableau when he was moving with the casket down the aisle as it was going to go out of the Basilica for the last time. And there was certainly still the look of seriousness on the face -- on his face, but there was a look of also this is it. This is the end. Just think of where Father Paul Scalia and everyone else here was just seven days ago. We had no idea that Justice Scalia had died until late Saturday of last week. And now his casket has rolled out, draped in the flag, put into the black hearse, and that's probably the last, you know, you and I and all your viewers will see of that. And I thought that the tribute that the son gave so reinforced this man's presence in our lives and the other thing I think is that we will probably be reminded for months, for years, even decades of his continuing presence in American life.</s>BLITZER: Yes. An enormous presence on the U.S. Supreme Court and indeed on the American life as you correctly point out. Jake, and it's time to reflect now. But this process is going to go forward and eventually there will be a new Supreme Court judge, could be in a few months, could be in a year.</s>TAPPER: It's hard to imagine. And I think a lot of us felt the same way when we heard the news about a week ago, no, that can't be. Justice Scalia, such a larger than life character, it's hard to imagine a world without him. But, Jeffrey Toobin, as the Senate, the president begin to tussle even more about who replaces Justice Scalia, what is his legacy, do you think?</s>TOOBIN: He has an unusually strong legacy for the Supreme Court. You know, there have been more than 100 Supreme Court justices in history but there are only a handful that have a significant individual legacy, and Justice Scalia is at the very top of that list with people like Chief Justice Marshall, Louie Brandeis, Earl Warren. And the reason is, is he was a -- someone who had ideas that will live after him, originalism, the idea that the Constitution should be understood, should mean only what the framers of the Constitution thought it meant. The idea of texturalism, which means that statutes, that law mean only what the words mean, not what legislators intended those words to mean, especially texturalism which is not as politically controversial as originalism. You know, there are -- all the rest of the Supreme Court justices except for Stephen Breyer have pretty much accepted texturalism. So that's an innovation, a philosophy that is something that has stood for more than just political conservatism.</s>BLITZER: It's a truly, truly powerful moment indeed in American history that we will continue to observe and watch. And the impact of Justice Scalia will be enormous for years to come. I just want to wrap this up for now. I want to tell our viewers thanks so much for watching all of our special coverage of Justice Scalia's funeral mass. Stay with CNN for all the very latest. We'll take a quick break, we'll be right back.