my name is saikrishna prakash. i'm a judge from the ninth circuit. please don't hold that against me. it's a great pleasure and honor to be here. justice scalia once famously compared legislative history to entering a crowded cocktail party invoking for -- and although it's a little bit early to get started on the cocktail, and very happy to see many old and new friends here gathering to consider the legacy of the celebrated jurist and a brilliant legal mind. first please join me in welcoming our panel. i have professor tom morrow of the charles evans hughes -- she is professor of law at the columbia law school, saikrishna prakash james james monroe distinguished professor of law at the university of virginia professor lawrence sylvan of the georgetown university law center professor michael distinguished university chair and professor at the university of st. thomas. as the title of our panel indicates we are here to discuss the demise of legislative history. let me start with a simple question. what difference does it make anyway whether judges int