▁Thus ▁legal ▁real ism ▁or ▁" rel ational ism " ▁has ▁been ▁fav ored ▁in ▁some ▁common ▁law ▁juris dict ions , ▁where ▁the ▁kind ▁of ▁legal ▁cod ification ▁associated ▁with ▁civil ▁law ▁are ▁virt ually ▁unknown . ▁ ▁Justice ▁S cal ia ▁and ▁formal ism ▁The ▁late ▁United ▁States ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁Justice ▁Anton in ▁S cal ia ▁was ▁noted ▁for ▁his ▁formal ist ▁views ▁about ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁topics , ▁particularly ▁his ▁view ▁that ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁Constitution ▁should ▁be ▁interpreted ▁in ▁accord ▁with ▁its ▁original ▁meaning ▁and ▁his ▁view ▁that ▁stat utes ▁should ▁be ▁read ▁in ▁accord ▁with ▁their ▁plain ▁meaning . ▁ ▁In ▁A ▁M atter ▁of ▁Inter pret ation , ▁S cal ia ▁def ended ▁text ual ism ▁– ▁and , ▁by ▁extension , ▁formal ism ▁– ▁saying : ▁Of ▁all ▁the ▁critic isms ▁le ve led ▁against ▁text ual ism , ▁the ▁most ▁mind less ▁is ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁formal ist . ▁The ▁answer ▁to ▁that ▁is , ▁of ▁course ▁it ' s ▁formal istic ! ▁The ▁rule ▁of ▁law ▁is ▁about ▁form ▁... ▁A ▁murder er ▁has ▁been ▁caught ▁with ▁blood ▁on ▁his ▁hands , ▁b ending ▁over ▁the ▁body ▁of ▁his ▁victim ; ▁a ▁neighbor ▁with ▁a ▁video ▁camera ▁has ▁fil med ▁the ▁crime ▁and ▁the ▁murder er ▁has ▁conf essed ▁in ▁writing ▁and ▁on ▁vide ot ape . ▁We ▁non eth eless ▁ins ist ▁that ▁before ▁the ▁state ▁can ▁pun ish ▁this ▁mis cre ant , ▁it ▁must ▁conduct ▁a ▁full - d ress ▁criminal