Sheldon M. Novick |
Fridays 9:30 – 11:30 AM |
September 30 through November 18, 2005 |
Kendal at Hanover |
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes (1841 – 1935) is acknowledged even by his critics to be the preeminent American legal philosopher, and is considered by many lawyers and judges today to represent the ideal of a Supreme Court Justice. But Holmes was controversial in his lifetime, remains so today, and is both attacked and acclaimed by opposing sides in modern debates about a judge’s proper role. In this course, we will read and discuss some of Holmes’s published and unpublished work, with emphasis on the period one hundred years ago, in which he addressed the question of how moral principals enter the law. We will also read and discuss some seemingly contradictory accounts of his life and thought.
Class is limited to 20 members.
SHELDON M. NOVICK is the author of the first full biography of Justice Holmes, is editor of Holmes’ collected works, and director of the Holmes Papers Project supported by the National Archives. He is Adjunct Professor of Law and History at Vermont Law School, and is at work on a biography of Henry James.
