Idolatry and Faith: The Jurisprudence of Sanford Levinson

Abstract

It is a great pleasure to be able to honor Sandy Levinson, my very dear friend, who has done so many things for me in the course of my academic life. He discovered me, when I was an assistant professor toiling in the vineyards at the University of Missouri- Kansas City, and he and Scot Powe persuaded the members of the faculty at the University of Texas School of Law to bring me there, and give me a job, perhaps against their better judgment. He was incredibly generous to me during my years there, and since then. He took me under his wing, and I learned an enormous amount from him, so much so, that as I describe the themes of his work to you in this essay, it strikes me how much these same themes have also become central to my own work as well. That is the depth and significance of his influence.