Mr. Justice Brandeis

Abstract

ON FEBRUARY 13, 1939, Mr. Justice Brandeis retired from regular active service as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The gratitude which the nation unanimously feels for his magnificent service was expressed by President Roosevelt in his letter acceding to the retirement as "the inevitable" which "one must perforce accept". Especially to students of law was Mr. Justice Brandeis' service invaluable. Both before he ascended the Bench in 1916, and during his incumbency, he was to them a generous source of inspiration and enlightenment. He was a pioneer in the conviction now generally held that Jaw is not a closed system of verbal logic; that its incidence on life requires it to be constantly alive, and to be sensitive to social needs and social change; that legal education must include education in the economic and social conditions of which law is an inseparable part. Only the formalities of classification would exclude Mr. Justice Brandeis from the list of great American educators. His judicial opinions, his briefs, his public writings all teach-and they teach with a wealth of information, analysis and insight. His work in helping to build the University of Louisville and its Law School exemplifies his broad educator's vision as well as his pride in American history and traditions. His interest in education generally and in legal education in particular has been unflagging, intimate and effectively active. He has regarded the teacher as the possessor of a great opportunity, matched by a serious responsibility, for public service, and he has lent encouragement to the profession in numerous ways.