Reason and Passion: Justice Brennan's Enduring Influence - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393337561 ISBN 13: 9780393337563

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997

Synopsis

In this collection, many of Justice Brennan's most distinguished colleagues and observers offer tribute to his far-reaching legacy. Anthony Lewis, Alan Dershowitz, Lani Guinier, Anna Quindlen, David Halberstam, Derrick Bell, and many others - including six Supreme Court justices - describe the opinions and dissents, and struggle and persuasion, that make up Justice Brennan's remarkable career. The sum of these essays is a look at the key issues of our time - civil liberties, race relations, family, privacy, crime, religion, poverty, politics - all of which were impacted by Justice Brennan's presence of the Supreme Court.

About this title

Review

Reason and Passion is something of a love letter to retired Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. from the Brennan Center, an organization founded by Brennan's former law clerks. In it, three dozen contributors discuss the justice's impact on the law and the nation over the nearly four decades that he served on the Court. The list of admirers includes judges, journalists, law professors, and lawyers, all of whom recall in their essays the importance of Brennan's opinions to the cause of human rights and equality under the law. Brennan, one of the Court's most liberal judges, was a great defender of individual rights, a position that paradoxically increased the strength of the federal government in ruling after ruling.

Not surprisingly, Reason and Passion is weighted in favor of those who agreed with Justice Brennan's politics and reading of the law; contributors include such liberal icons as Lanie Guinier and Anna Quindlen. Even Chief Justice William Rhenquist pulls some punches when discussing his former colleague's place in Supreme Court history, calling him "the intellectual leader of those espousing his views." For those seeking a balanced, critical view of the Brennan years, this is not the book for you; however, if you're interested in Brennan the man, Reason and Passion is a good place to start.

About the Author

E. Joshua Rosenkranz is director of the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City.

Bernard Schwartz is a professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0393337561
• ISBN 13: 9780393337563
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 332
• Editor: Rosenkranz E. Joshua, Schwartz Bernard