Justice Douglas’ Contribution to the Law: The First Amendment

Abstract

During his thirty-five years of service on the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Douglas has had an opportunity to write opinions on an extraordinary variety of subjects embracing virtually every area of the law. His views in some areas have directed the law's course of development. And even where the Court majority has pursued a different path, Justice Douglas has forcefully left his mark in a multitude of separate opinions. In four short articles below, based on addresses delivered in Washington, D.C., this fall at a Convocation honoring Justice Douglas for his record tenure on the Supreme Court, Professors Emerson, Dorsen, Ares, and Countryman discuss some of the Justice's most important contributions in the areas of, respectively, the first amendment, equal protection of the laws, constitutional criminal law, and business regulation.