Storied Third Branch

Robert L. Carter’s Commitment to Justice
Vol. 100 No. 3 (2016) | Who appointed me god?As an NAACP Lawyer, Robert L. Carter litigated countless milestone cases, including Brown v. Board of Education. He was such a passionate voice for civil rights that it might appear incongruous […]

Albion Tourgée, Reconstruction-era Crusader for Justice
Vol. 100 No. 4 (2016) | Steady As She GoesAs an American history buff and avid reader, I am always pleasantly surprised when I discover an American judicial hero whose life’s story enjoys periodic popular revivals. Albion Winegar Tourgée […]

A Model of Collegiality: Judge Harry T. Edwards
by Pamela Harris, Daphna Renan and Sri Srinivasan
Vol. 105 No. 1 (2021) | The Courts HeldOne of Judge Harry Edwards’s successors as chief judge of the D.C. Circuit has called Judge Edwards the “Great Chief.” That is a fitting appellation. While Judge Edwards could serve […]

A Model Trial Judge: U.S. District Judge Sim Lake
Vol. 101 No. 1 (2017) | Citizen-centered Courts(Judge Jennifer Elrod is is pictured above with Judge Lake on the day he swore her into the Texas bar in 1992; photo courtesy Jennifer Elrod.) Born on the last Independence […]

The ‘Duke’ of the Federal Court: Celebrating Gerald B. Tjoflat’s 50 Years as a Federal Judge
Vol. 104 No. 3 (2020-21) | Judges on the MarchAs a card-carrying member of “the Union,” those of us fortunate to have served as law clerks to the Hon. Gerald Bard Tjoflat, I receive an annual letter from His […]

Gentleman Judge and Magnificent Man: Judge J. William Ditter, Jr.
Vol. 101 No. 3 (2017) | Bold and Persistent ReformThe Eastern District of Pennsylvania is a large, collegial trial court where quick humor and timely touches of humanity are as highly valued as intelligence and integrity. Even though this […]

Justice Beverley McLachlin: A Remarkable Journey to the ‘Centre Chair’
Vol. 104 No. 2 (2020) | Coping with COVIDAbove: Beverley McLachlin, 17th Chief Justice of Canada (Photo by Roy Grogran, courtesy of the Supreme Court of Canada) Beverley McLachlin, widely regarded as one of the best legal minds […]

The One Who Could: Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
Vol. 104 No. 1 (2020) | A Clearer ViewABOVE: U.S. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill, right, with Senior U.S. District Judge Morrison England, both of the Eastern District of California. While Lawrence J. O’Neill was completing his 50th jury […]

She Lifted Her Voice: Constance Baker Motley (1921–2005) U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Vol. 103 No. 3 (2019) | Fees, Fines, and BailAlthough she loved music, she could not sing. She was such a bad singer that, as a little girl growing up in New Haven, she was asked to leave the […]

A Hero’s Life: Michael D. Ryan, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Arizona
Vol. 101 No. 4 (2017) | Equal opportunity?A war hero. A respected jurist. A humble servant. A mentor. A friend. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather. All these tags fit Michael D. Ryan, a former associate justice […]