Scalia rated the Supreme Court's funniest

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Boston University professor has examined Supreme Court transcripts and concluded that the conservative Antonin Scalia is the funniest justice.

Showing that personality trumps ideology when it comes to humor, the liberal Stephen Breyer was the second-funniest. At the other end of the scale -- drawing the fewest laughs in court -- were the liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the conservative and silent Clarence Thomas.

Jay D. Wexler of the Boston University School of Law counted the number of times a justice's remarks were followed in the transcript by the notation "laughter," the New York Times reported. He was able to do this because the transcripts now identify justices by name, something that was not done in the past.

Wexler admitted that his count is not perfect since he can't tell from the transcript whether the "laughter" notation means a few giggles or the entire courtroom cracking up.

But some of the justices show flashes of real wit.

"Recently I lost my luggage," Justice Anthony Kennedy said. "I had to go to the lost and found at the airline, and the lady said has my plane landed yet."