US Supreme Court Notables: Holmes, Cardozo and Scalia
US Supreme Court justices have been a source of inspiration and instruction for most law students. Here’s a look back on three famous judges turned justices who have left their mark on the face of the country’s judicial process.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Chief Justice Holmes, who authored The Common Law, is an icon that pushed others toward proper legal thinking. Holmes went to Harvard for his undergraduate then participated in the American Civil War. After being wounded in battle, Holmes returned to Harvard to take up law.
After a year of teaching at Harvard Law, he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and became notable for his bold reasoning. President Roosevelt nominated him for the US Supreme Court Chief Justice position which he won on December 8, 1902.
Chief Justice Holmes defended and made clear the scope and limitations of the freedom of speech, and he became the proponent for most of the liberties enjoyed by all up to the present.
Benjamin Cardozo
Chief Justice Benjamin Cardozo was nominated to the US Supreme Court in 1932 by President Hoover following the death of Chief Justice Holmes. Cardozo entered Columbia Law School in 1889. Cardozo practiced law until he joined the Supreme Court of New York in 1914. His nomination to the post in the US Supreme Court by President Hoover was unanimously seconded by everyone.
Cardozo produced treatises that have become valuable texts for the study of jurisprudence: The Nature of the Judicial Process, The Growth of the Law, and The Paradoxes of Legal Science.
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia has been made famous for his scathing wit and argumentative styles. Scalia studied law in Harvard and was even the Notes Editor of the Harvard Law Review. He taught at Stanford, Georgetown, and University of Chicago while dabbling in a political career as a public servant. Presently, the second most senior Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, Scalia has made a lot of distinctions in his colorful career.
Scalia believes that the Constitution is a legal document that should be the basis for many of the rulings in court, not as a living organism that can be interpreted for the benefit of others. This textualist and conservative approach somehow challenges law students to view the Constitution for the most succinct approach. Scalia has authored a new book called Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, which is is endorsed by The Federalist Society.
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