Um, What’s The Nino Thing All About? [Administration]

Some may wonder–what’s up with the Nino/ninophile thing? We aren’t really the Nino family; we aren’t even Italian or Hispanic. Well, here’s the straight dope:

I am, as many of you know, extremely conservative politically and judicially (there is a difference between the two). Judicially speaking, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is something of a mentor-from-afar to me. He was even so kind as to send me an autographed rejection letter several years ago when I applied for a Supreme Court clerkship.

So, where is this going? Justice Scalia’s nickname is Nino, and as something of a disciple I have long utilized email addresses and usernames identifying that fact–hence, ninophile, meaning (in the original Greek) a follower of Nino.

So if you are ever in an internet chat room getting figuratively beaten up with words and logic by a poster named ninophile, it’s likely me.

And you thought I was just weird. Here is the official Supreme Court picture of, if I may be so bold, Nino:

[Updated March 26, 2011; photo courtesy of The Oyez Project]