Summer 2020 - Harvard Law Today

The Urgency of the Moment

From grappling with the challenges of an unprecedented health crisis to addressing longstanding racial injustices, HLS affiliates respond

A Year Unlike Any Other This has been a year unlike any other, a year with so many challenges and hardships here in the United States and around the world. It has also been a year of inspiring efforts by members of the global Harvard Law School community to respond with creativity and determination, finding […] Continue Reading

Featured Stories

Iluustration of people six feet apart mailing in a vote

When Voting Is a Risky Choice

The November 2020 general election was shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated, nerve-wracking and deeply contested elections in American history, with most onlookers expecting record-breaking voter turnout. Then a pandemic hit.

Making History in Environmental Law

In a new book, Lazarus goes behind the scenes of the biggest environmental law case in Supreme Court history

In his new book “The Rule of Five,” Richard Lazarus goes behind the scenes of the biggest environmental law case in Supreme Court history. Continue Reading

Dean's Letter

John F. Manning '85

A Year Unlike Any Other

This has been a year unlike any other, a year with so many challenges and hardships here in the United States and around the world. It has also been a year of inspiring efforts by members of the global Harvard Law School community to respond with creativity and determination, finding solutions and advocating for the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our society. Continue Reading

Writ Large

Popular Opinion

In the ongoing debate over the ways justices interpret the Constitution, Mark Tushnet offers a different perspective: Let the people decide

Tushnet advocates for a new constitutional order that would move away from “judicial supremacy" and instead focus on empowering ordinary people to shape Americans’ understanding of the meaning of the Constitution. Continue Reading

For the Sake of Argument

Joseph Singer writes on how to use persuasion to break through a divide

Singer seeks to help lawyers and the general public make reasoned arguments, promote civil discourse, and consider alternative perspectives. Continue Reading

Getting the Law of Wrongs Right

John Goldberg on reforming how we think about tort law, including in the age of COVID-19

In “Recognizing Wrongs,” Goldberg and his co-author argue that much of the criticism of tort law comes from failing to appreciate its character and purposes. Continue Reading

Faculty Books in Brief: Summer 2020

From human rights in a time of populism to a comparative look at capital punishment to a focus on disability, healthcare and bioethics Continue Reading

See All »

Enduring Lessons

Four Harvard Law School faculty who retired this year are celebrated by former students

Read the tributes »

Retiring Professors Robert Clark, Mary Ann Glendon Laurence Tribe and Mark Tushnet are celebrated by former students. Continue Reading

Read the tributes »

Alumni Notes and Newsmakers

Neil Gorsuch portrait at confirmation hearings

A Justice Reflects on Law and Life

I n a book featuring speeches and writings over the course of his 30 years in the law, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch ’91 offers “personal reflections on our Constitution, its separation of powers, and some of the challenges we face in preserving and protecting our republic today.”

Gallery

Pomp and Circumstance

Separated by a pandemic, the resilient Class of 2020 still found ways to connect

On May 28, 2020, Harvard Law students gathered to celebrate their graduation. The gathering did not take place at the foot of Langdell Hall, but rather in living rooms and backyards worldwide, from Cambridge to California, from New Zealand to the Netherlands, at all hours of the day and night. Continue Reading

In Memoriam

See the full list of HLS alumni obituaries »