Justice Antonin Scalia's Provocative Comments on Gay Issues

March 26, 2013 — -- Since his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1986, Justice Antonin Scalia has delivered some of the most controversial statements heard from the nation's highest court.

Some of his most notable comments centered on issues pertaining to gay rights, the most controversial of which are listed below.

Romer v. Evans -- 1996

In this 1996 case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay rights for the first time. The court's majority ruled that individual states had the right to ban discriminatory practices against gay people, with Scalia among those dissenting.

Lawrence v. Texas Dissent -- 2003

The Supreme Court's landmark 6-3 ruling to strike down Texas's anti-sodomy laws provided for some of Scalia's most colorful language. The hearing focused on whether or not consensual sexual intimacy was part of the liberties provided to citizens under the 14th Amendment. The court's ruling upheld these liberties and invalidated laws that criminalized sodomy between consenting adults in Texas and other states with similar legislations. Scalia dissented to the ruling.