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Full-Text Articles in Legal History
Philosophy And Opinions, Warren Ortland
Philosophy And Opinions, Warren Ortland
William Mitchell Law Review
Review of Law, Pragmatism, and Democracy. By Richard A. Posner. Harvard University Press, 2003. 398 Pages. $35.00.
The Quicksands Of Originalism: Interpreting Minnesota’S Constitutional Past, Douglas A. Hedin
The Quicksands Of Originalism: Interpreting Minnesota’S Constitutional Past, Douglas A. Hedin
William Mitchell Law Review
There are several varieties of the “originalist” school of constitutional thought, but all subscribe in one degree or another to the belief that a constitutional clause should be interpreted according to its original meaning or the original intent of its authors. That original understanding or intent can be discerned from the text of the clause, the history of its drafting and ratification and, sometimes, early practices and court decisions interpreting that clause. It rightly has been called a “grand theory” because it is simple and clear, explains so much, and it has the almost irresistible attraction of being anchored firmly …
The Creativity Of The Common-Law Judge: The Jurisprudence Of William Mitchell, Charles J. Reid Jr.
The Creativity Of The Common-Law Judge: The Jurisprudence Of William Mitchell, Charles J. Reid Jr.
William Mitchell Law Review
Mitchell's presence graced the Minnesota Supreme Court for nearly nineteen years, from 1881 to 1900. His output was prodigious. He produced nearly 1600 judicial opinions. It has been estimated “that excluding Sundays, and allowing a month in each year for vacation, Judge Mitchell wrote one opinion in every three days for nineteen years.” Indeed, “[i]n point of numbers, his opinions exceed those of any other justice of the Supreme Court of his state, or the nation.” It is one aspect, perhaps the central aspect, the unifying theme of this prolific body of work, that is the focus of this essay: …