Italian-Americans Honor U.S. Justice
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the first member of the high court of Italian descent, was welcomed in Los Angeles on Saturday by fellow Italian-Americans honoring their peers in government.
Scalia, 51, the keynote speaker at the “Salute to Italian Americans in Government” dinner at the Beverly Wilshire, was introduced by Gov. George Deukmejian.
It was Scalia’s first visit to Los Angeles since being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1986.
Also attending the dinner was actor Joseph Campanella, who served as master of ceremonies, California Supreme Court justices Malcolm Lucas, Edward Panelli and John Arguelles and Los Angeles Catholic Archbishop Roger M. Mahony.
The event was sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation, dedicated to promoting the contributions and achievements of Italian Americans in the United States.
Earlier in the day, Scalia received an honorary degree from Pepperdine University’s School of Law in Malibu.
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