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Full-Text Articles in Law
Justice Blackmun And The Spirit Of Liberty, Richard C. Reuben
Justice Blackmun And The Spirit Of Liberty, Richard C. Reuben
Faculty Publications
As we see in this symposium, Justice Harry Blackmun is as controversial in death as he was in life. We live in a time of increasing absolutism, where things are either black or white, red or blue, you are either for me or against me, my way or the highway. It is when we are swayed by the sirens of absolutism that we are most likely to make mistakes, for absolutism diminishes our capacity to see nuance, much less to appreciate and account for it in our reasoning. This is a dangerous thing in a court, and in a democracy. …
Justice Defined - It Takes More Than A Single Opinion To Understand How Legal Reasoning And Personal Experience Shape A 24-Year Career, Richard C. Reuben
Justice Defined - It Takes More Than A Single Opinion To Understand How Legal Reasoning And Personal Experience Shape A 24-Year Career, Richard C. Reuben
Faculty Publications
With his retirement in June after participating in more than 800 cases - including his career-identifying 7-2 opinion in Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion - the definition of Harry Blackmun's tenure lies in the seeming contradiction of commitment and flexibility. Along with a steadfast defense of the right to abortion in Roe, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and successive cases, Blackmun's significance was in the power of his vote. Often overlooked in the public's emphasis on Roe is an appreciation of Blackmun's reflective, methodical, if not occasionally pointed, jurisprudence.