Scalia, long shy of news media, now more open

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2008 | by Joan Biskupic

WASHINGTON -- For years, Justice Antonin Scalia has been a rebel on the law -- with a penchant for shunning the news media.

He kept C-SPAN out of his appearances. In 2006, when a Boston reporter approached him after a church service with a question, he flicked his fingers under his chin in a well-known Sicilian brushoff.

These days, Scalia is making a new gesture to the media. He held a question-and-answer session with students that was televised live on C-SPAN last week. He has begun publicity for the release of a book he co-authored on legal arguments. He will appear on CBS' 60 Minutes this month.

The public is about to get a big dose of Scalia, who speaks passionately about the law and also has an intriguing life story as the first...