Antonin Gregory Scalia was born in 1936 in Trenton, New Jersey, the only child of Eugene and Catherine Scalia. In 1982, President Reagan appointed Scalia, who was then a law professor at the University of Chicago, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In September 1986, following a 98-0 confirmation by the Senate, Reagan appointed him to the Supreme Court. One of the most significant justices in the history of the Court, he served for nearly thirty years before his death in February 2016. Antonin Scalia was married to Maureen for fifty-five years. Together they had nine children and dozens of grandchildren.

Edward Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a former law clerk to Justice Scalia. He is a leading commentator on the Supreme Court and on issues of constitutional law. Mr. Whelan co-edited two other collections of Justice Scalia's work, Scalia Speaks- Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived and On Faith- Lessons from an American Believer. A father of four, he lives with his family in the D.C. area.