2 US justices who were buddies beyond the bench

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died of heart attack Saturday, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest justice in Supreme Court, were starkly different from each other.

Three years younger than Ginsburg, Scalia became Supreme Court justice from designation by the late former Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He was justice with the highest seniority and was advocate of patriarchal values. While Scalia was symbol of U.S. conservatism, Ginsburg is godmother of progressive forces who defended gender equality and protection of minority's rights. She joined Supreme Court after being nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton seven years later than Scalia. She is now justice with the highest seniority.

The two people engaged in sharp conflicts on homosexuality, abortion and gun issues. In addition to different appearances, they had different personality. Scalia was an Italian with a spiteful tongue while Ginsburg was Russian-Jewish, skinny and was a taciturn person.

Nevertheless, the two people were buddies beyond the bench. First meeting each other in early 1980s as judges at Washingon appeals court, they were opera lovers and long enjoyed opera performance together. In 1994, they performed together at Washington opera group's "Ariadne auf Naxos." The two travelled together with their families and went shopping together. They also hosted year-end parties with spouses joining. When Ginsburg's husband died in 2010, Scalia cried for them. Opera "Scalia-Ginsburg" that took stage in July last year was highly praised for displaying law, music and the importance of friendship in a world dominated by dichotomous thinking.

The following is Ginsburg's touching statement on Scalia. "Toward the end of the opera Scalia/Ginsburg, tenor Scalia and soprano Ginsburg sing a duet: "We are different, we are one," different in our interpretation of written texts, one in our reverence for the Constitution and the institution we serve. From our years together at the D.C. Circuit, we were best buddies."

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