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Jurisprudence Commons

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Washington and Lee University School of Law

Sociological jurisprudence

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Full-Text Articles in Jurisprudence

"Sociological Legitimacy" In Supreme Court Opinions, Michael L. Wells Jun 2007

"Sociological Legitimacy" In Supreme Court Opinions, Michael L. Wells

Washington and Lee Law Review

Analysis of a Supreme Court opinion ordinarily begins from the premise that the opinion is a transparent window into the Court's thinking, such that the reasons offered by the Court are, or ought to be, the reasons that account for the holding. Scholars debate the strength of the Court's reasoning, question or defend the Court's candor, and propose alternative ways of justifying the ruling. This Article takes issue with the transparency premise, on both descriptive and normative grounds. Especially in controversial cases, the Court is at least as much concerned with presenting its holding in a way that will win …


Law, Belief, And Bildung: The Education Of Harry Edwards, Brian C. Murchison Jan 2000

Law, Belief, And Bildung: The Education Of Harry Edwards, Brian C. Murchison

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