A Position of Authority
In his book “The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics,” Justice Stephen Breyer explored how the Court can continue to maintain its vital role as a check on the rest of the government.
Breyer retires
Harvard Law Today offers a look back at Justice Stephen Breyer’s career and his legacy, and his lifelong connection to Harvard Law School.
Supreme vacancy: Faculty discuss Breyer’s legacy and the path to confirming the Court’s next justice
In the hours and days since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, Harvard Law School faculty have shared observations on his legacy and weighed in about the process of appointing and confirming his successor.
Pragmatic Justice
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer ’64, who focused on the consequences of his judicial decisions, has announced that he will step down after more than a quarter century on the Court.
On the Court, Breyer had a ‘deeply thoughtful, learned, humane, and pragmatic approach’
In the wake of the news that Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer ’64 will retire at the end of the current term, Harvard Law School faculty members offer their thoughts on his tenure, legacy, and how the nation’s highest court could change after his departure.
Justice Stephen Breyer — a passionate pragmatist
Richard Lazarus ’79, a Supreme Court advocate and the Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law, reflects on Justice Breyer’s “striking pragmatism” — and passion — during his 28 years on the Court.
Breyer cautions against the ‘peril of politics’
To retain the public’s trust, Justice Breyer argued, changes should come not from political reform, but in recommitment to ideals within the Court itself and in the American people.
Taking Ames
On March 10, two teams of HLS students faced off for the final round of the Ames Moot Court Competition. For the first time in its more than 100-year-old history, the competition was conducted virtually, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Supreme Viewing: A Deep Bench
Although arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court are not video-recorded, you can watch many of its justices questioning oralists and presiding over cases—within the State of Ames. Visit Harvard Law School’s archive of video recordings of the final rounds of the Ames Moot Court Competition.
All rise!
The opening event of Harvard Law School’s Bicentennial summit was one for the history books. Gathering at Sanders Theater were six Supreme Court justices (five current and one retired): Neil Gorsuch ’91, Elena Kagan ’86, David H. Souter ’66, Stephen G. Breyer ’64, Anthony M. Kennedy ’61, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ’79. In a roundtable discussion with Dean John F. Manning ’85, the justices shared memories and more than a few priceless anecdotes.