Antonin Scalia
Photo by Jay Mallin
The headgear worn by U.S. Supreme Court justices at the presidential inauguration January 21 caused almost as much buzz as Michelle Obama's bangs and outfits. Justice Antonin Scalia wore a grandiose replica of a hat worn by Renaissance Saint Thomas More. It was a gift from the St. More Society of Richmond, Va., to Scalia in 2010, according to former Scalia clerk Kevin Walsh. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted a photo of it and pronounced it weird.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was dwarfed by her large fur hat. Anthony Kennedy went with a basic black ski cap, while Stephen Breyer wore a more classic cornered skullcap. Justice Samuel Alito Jr. went hatless, but seemed to be making some kind of statement with ominous wraparound sunglasses. In spite of the range of styles, it's traditional for justices to wear black hats at inaugurals and other cold-weather events.
Hats have gone in and out of vogue over the years. Chief Justice Edward Douglas White wore one when swearing in President Woodrow Wilson in 1913, the first time a skullcap was documented in an inaugural photo. At John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural, seven of the nine justice wore skullcaps.
